The revenue department is going to take action to restore all illegally leveled land in the state. Such a thought is based on the Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, which came into force fifteen years ago. Needless to say, this idea, which is highly impractical and very difficult to implement, is not going to make any profit for the government. It is not certain whose utopian thought it was. Whosever idea it is, the decision to restore the leveled land will be an arrangement that will throw the government into another big controversy.

The land in the state was about nine lakh hectares but has reduced to two lakh hectares now. A good part of them were leveled before the conservation act. Even after the law came into force, paddy fields have turned into dry land, officially and unofficially. As the paddy fields became a huge liability for the owners, they started falling fallow. Gradually, a good part of them was filled and used for other useful things. No one can say for sure how long the remaining paddy fields will last in this form.

The filled paddy fields have been converted by the owners for various purposes. There is no estimate of the portion of illegally filled land. The Commissioner of Land Revenue has been entrusted with the task of resolving it. It is needless to say how laborious this process itself can be as land across the state has to be checked to detect and mark unauthorized filling. It has been decided to ask the owner of the land to restore the illegal filling found in this way. If they are not ready, the revenue department itself will take up the task. The entire cost will be charged to the owner. If the owner refuses to do so, the move is to use the weapon of attaching the property. There will also be a warning that if there are buildings and other structures in the illegally filled area, they will be demolished. Large buildings, shops, hospitals and petrol stations have already come up in many of the leveled lands. It is impossible to demolish all of them and turn the place where they stand into the old paddy field land. In ancient times, the arrangement of razing the dwellings of Natarachan's opponents and digging a pond in the spot existed. The new Tughlaq reform of the Revenue Department will be a reminder of that.

The question of where the government will get the money to demolish the buildings on leveled land and restore them is also relevant, as the government is facing financial difficulties and is unable to provide even six or eight rupees per child for lunch in public schools. It would be good if we could reclaim fields and wetlands and achieve agricultural prosperity. It should be through practical measures. The current plan will only make people visit revenue offices daily. It will pave a new way for corruption as well.