Nexus of Good: Eliminating encroachments

Encroachment on farm roads and access roads has been a major issue in rural areas. Osmanabad District in Maharashtra is, additionally, notorious for being prone to farmers’ suicide. Many farm road issues were pending in revenue officer courts, with police complaints for road obstruction also being filed. Even after orders were given by Tahsildars and SDOs to open farm roads, the actual implementation left much to be desired. These encroachments adversely affected the implementation of development schemes in the villages. For effective implementation of agricultural development schemes, ‘People's Movement for Encroachment-Free Farm Roads’ campaign was launched in the district in December 2020. The campaign aimed to clear all encroachments with active participation from stakeholders.

As the population grew, so did the number of families, leading to smaller-sized fields due to land division. Encroachment on existing farm lands in the village map, without providing new farm lands from the Bandh (farm boundary), became a growing concern. This encroachment of roads in the villages resulted in dissatisfaction and even led to law-and-order issues. At the same time, despite farmers' desires, it was not possible to grow cash crops like sugarcane, banana, orchards etc., and sowing on rainy days was difficult. It was also not possible to take the harvester to the field for harvesting.

The structure of the ‘People's Movement for Encroachment-Free Farm Roads’ was as follows:

⁕ The farm roads mentioned on the village map were considered under Section 5 of the Mamlatdar Court Act, 1906 (of Bombay Presidency);

⁕ At places where there was no access to go to the farms, provision of roads from embankments under section 143 of Maharashtra Land Revenue Act, 1966, was used. This provision is there to create new farm roads;

⁕ Providing a road from the margin of farm boundary (Bandh) of farmers, if the road was going through a field of any farmer;

⁕ Free the roads from encroachment through public participation;

⁕ In the absence of compromise, cases were lodged under Section 5 of the Case Court Act 1906 or section 143 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Act, 1966;

⁕ Talathi-wise and Mandal Officer-wise targets were given to clear farm roads.

The Village-level Revenue Department did not have the necessary resources to physically remove the encroachments. Consequently, the encroachments continued, and so did the plight of the farmers, despite court orders. The administration realised that this issue would not be resolved unless the farmers' field margins were permanently marked, and the roads were opened using JCB through public contribution.

Osmanabad District was a part of the Hyderabad Princely state, and its feudal tendencies had a negative impact on revenue administration. There were myriad issues relating to land ownership. Farmers were sensitised to utilise appropriate sections of laws to resolve disputes. Just the use of appropriate laws significantly improved the legal service delivery in the revenue departments.

After a series of deliberations, the district administration developed a viable and practical plan for de-encroachment of farm roads. Village-level farmers, Sarpanchs, Dispute Resolution Committees, Talathis, Gram Sevaks, Police Patils, and Kotwals were trained to rectify the errors in the implementation. The nature of the campaign was continuously improved according to the needs and feedback of the farmers, and the de-encroachment scheme became a popular movement.

To implement the campaign, Shivarpheri was organised in every village to assess the extent of encroachment in each farm. Village-wise Sarpanchs, police patils, and other eminent persons were called to participate in the movement to free the farms from encroachment. However, the administration realised that the issue would not be resolved unless permanent markings were made on the boundaries of the farm roads. This required financial expenditure, but the Revenue department lacked such provisions. The problem was solved when the farmers themselves made contributions, and it was agreed that using JCB was a good, cost-effective option for the task.

As per the plan, ditches were dug on both sides of the road, and the soil/pimples were placed in the middle to construct a good quality road. Convergence under the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) provided assistance. Out of the encroached roads, 134 roads have been strengthened under MGNREGS. As soon as a judgement was passed by the Tahsildar court/ SDO court, a meeting of concerned farmers and villagers was convened by Revenue officials. The Revenue officials located the boundary marks, resolved any further disputes, and opened the roads accordingly.

Revenue officials at the village level, i.e., Talathi and Circle officers, were mobilised initially. Detailed instructions were given regarding the responsibilities of Tahsildars, Circle officers, Talathis, and other departments at the field level. Similarly, the responsibilities of Gram Panchayat Dispute Resolution Committee, Revenue Department, Records Department, and Farmers were also defined. Objectives were set for each Talathi-wise and Mandal-wise farm encroachment clearance. Nodal Officers were appointed to increase public participation, resolve pending cases, and strengthen encroachment-free roads under the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme.

'Special Farm Roads Adalats' were conducted in each Taluka every month, where all complaints and applications were listed and conveyed to the Collector's office. As needed, hearings and spot inspections were conducted. After the resolution of disputes, records were regularly updated. Local newspapers also took daily cognisance of the campaign, and village-wise success stories were published by their local correspondents.

Social media tools like Facebook and WhatsApp were extensively used to promote the ‘People's Movement for Encroachment-Free Farm Roads’ campaign. Google Earth was used to detect encroached roads, and geotagging photos were also employed.

By the end of September 2022, significant results were witnessed in the entire district. Around 32,795 farmers in 780 villages benefited, with approximately 965 kilometres of farm roads opened and utilised. Farm road issues that had been pending for 50 years were also resolved during this movement, bringing a sense of satisfaction to the district administration, knowing that basic revenue work can achieve unique public service delivery.

The elimination of encroachment on farm roads through public participation was beneficial to farmers, and Osmanabad was a unique district in adopting such a large-scale campaign. The movement for encroachment-free farm roads has now become a people's movement. Presently, the Maharajsav Abhiyan is being implemented in Osmanabad district, and the campaign to remove encroachments on all the encroached roads will continue throughout the year.

What has happened in Osmanabad under the inspired leadership of its Collector, Kaustubh Diwegaonkar, is a wonderful example of Nexus of Good. This initiative can be replicated and scaled through public-private partnership.

Views expressed are personal