Ranchi, Dec. 17: The absent of a survey on land ceiling has posed problems for both the RRDA and city residents with the latter facing the brunt in most cases.

The last survey was done sometime in mid-’70s when the Bihar Urban Land Ceiling Act, 1973, came into force.

R.N. Mishra, a resident of Kanke Road has got a 2.5-cottah plot after the distribution of parental property among his brothers. However, when he approached the RRDA for passing a plan to build a house on the plot, he was denied the same, as the original land was reportedly coming under ceiling act.

“The land possessed by our grandfather and father was under ceiling category. But our family, which got divided and only a few cottah of land is now being possessed by our brothers, is fighting a legal battle so that the plot in question be declared out of ceiling. Meanwhile, when I approach RRDA to get the permission, the authorities are harassing,” said Mishra, adding that if a person is able to “please” the RRDA officials, the matter “gets resolved soon”.

Almost the same is the problem with a senior city politician, who wants to start a multi-storied apartment project. But the plot in question also falls under the ceiling category.

The government (revenue and land reforms department) machinery was pressed into services in the mid-’70s to ascertain which plots come under ceiling. The Bihar Urban and Ceiling Act, 1973, which is being followed by the Jharkhand government also, prohibits a person to keep more then 2,000 square metre (about 29 cottah) of land in urban areas. At that time, residents had to submit undertakings, which were later verified.

But in the next 33 years, most of the families have got divided with the ownership of a particular plot changing resulting in a change in overall land pattern. But the government failed to keep a track on the land.

Several cases have been lodged in the court of additional collector (land ceiling) where residents had presented their pleas that the land in question did not fall under ceiling.

The state government, which is contemplating to abolish the Act under compulsion of getting a Union government grant under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). One of the conditions in JNNURM is that the Act should be abolished from the states.

RRDA secretary S.N. Mandilwar told The Telegraph that the authority has requested the office of assistant collector (land ceiling) to provide recent details mentioning which plots in the city are under ceiling.

Former additional collector (ceiling) of Ranchi R.K. Choudhary added that there had been talks about abolishing the act and it might be the reason of not conducting a fresh survey.