Land, a prized possession of many and something that eluded several investors, seems hardly safe in the state.

On Thursday, land reforms minister Ramai Ram virtually threw up his hand in the Assembly when JD(U) MLA Manjit Kumar Singh raised a question on the deputy collector (land reforms) not being able to resolve disputes under the Bihar Land Resolution Act, 2009. The act stipulates the official to resolve land disputes within 90 days of a petition reaching his office.

“The district magistrates are entitled to review the progress made,” said Ram stressing that the district administrative officials remain busy with several problems such as law and order situation.

Manjit’s question was related to land disputes in Gopalganj, Chhapra, Siwan, East Champaran and West Champaran. During 2010-12, at least 1,479 cases were resolved within 90 days of 2,829 cases filed in the five districts, Ram added.

However, Manjit was not satisfied. “That still leaves 1,350 cases unresolved. What’s the use of making laws that cannot be resolved?” the MLA said with anger.

Supporting Manjit, science and technology minister Gautam Singh admitted that 20 bigha land of Darbhanga Engineering College, opened in 2008, had been encroached that made expansion of the institute quite difficult.

“Even while the Assembly is debating the issue, land belonging to the institute is being registered in the name of private individuals,” said Leader of Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui.

Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary also recommended a CID probe into the encroachment issue.

In Patna, around 90 acres of land belonging to Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) has been encroached for years and the government has not been able to do anything about it.

Incidentally, the Congress in Bihar has been a victim of land grab itself. The state party headquarters in Patna witnessed a portion of its land taken over by a promoter. Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora had to come here several times to save the land of party headquarters at Adalatganj.

RJD state president and former minister Ram Chandra Purbey said there were several cases of land belonging to educational institutes encroached upon, same plots being registered in the name of more than one person to create legal hassles for the owner. “It’s the land mafia which is dictating the price of land and the ownership,” he said.