The Truth of Panchsheel Nagar – Part 2
How Did Drainage Land Become Private (Raiyati) Property?
The very land recorded as a "drainage channel" in government records is now occupied by houses and commercial establishments
Ranchi: Panchsheel Nagar Chowk, located along National Highway-75, faces severe waterlogging every monsoon. With every spell of rain, the road turns into a virtual pond, disrupting traffic and causing immense inconvenience to commuters and local residents. But is the root of this recurring problem hidden in decades-old land transfers and settlements on what was once drainage land?
An examination of old revenue records has revealed several facts that raise serious questions. According to records available on the Jharbhumi portal, Plot No. 1075 under Khata No. 210, measuring 39 decimals, is recorded as "Parti Nali" (drainage land). The 1932 survey records also describe the land as a drainage channel. In other words, official government records identify this land as part of a natural water drainage system.
However, documents indicate that in 1975, on the basis of a simple Hukumnama (order/deed), the drainage land situated at Panchsheel Nagar Chowk was registered in the name of Jagdishwar Dayal Singh. The registration details are recorded in Book No. 1, Volume No. 140, Pages 592–595, under Deed No. 12345/1975.
The most significant question is this: even though the registration document itself described the land as "Parti Nali", how did it become private raiyati land? Over the years, the same land was transferred to other individuals, and gradually houses, shops, and other permanent structures came up on it.
Today, where concrete constructions stand, government records once identified drainage land. This naturally raises an important question: did construction on the natural drainage channel obstruct the flow of water? Is this one of the reasons why Panchsheel Nagar Chowk and NH-75 continue to suffer from waterlogging year after year?
This documentary trail is not merely a story of land transactions. It is also the story of a drainage channel that once served as a major outlet for rainwater and whose land status is now under scrutiny.
Several questions remain unanswered:
- If the land was officially recorded as drainage land, on what basis was it converted into raiyati property?
- Were all legal procedures followed during the registration and conversion process?
- When and how did construction activities expand over the drainage land?
In the next part...
- When was opposition to encroachment on the drainage land raised for the first time?
Keep reading "The Truth of Panchsheel Nagar"
The documents will speak. The facts will emerge.
— Reporting: Manoj Mishra
