Tushtojan Begum

Tushtojan Begum, a landless widow living in a village named Dhoroil Mollikpath of Beel Kuralia in Chatmohor had been possessing 25 decimal of agricultural khas (government owned) for years. But she had no legal title of this land. The long cherished dream of her family of owning legally a piece of land. Local land administration has decided to allocate the land to her name. She along with other 230 landless families including 28 widows of Beel Kuralia are about to get the allocation of almost 70 acres of land. On 29 January 2018, Government khas land distribution committee finalized the decision for permanent settlement to the families. These 230 families had been fighting with the land grabbers, freed the land and in possession for decades.

Background: More than 4 hundred acres of agricultural khas land were illegally possessed by the local influential for decades; this group of 230 landless families took possession in 1992. Immiadete after, landless people of Beel Kuralia started movement for getting allocation of 371 acres of khas land that was occupied by land grabbers. Under the banner of LDO (landless development organisation), a local partner organisation of ALRD, they organised the landless people of 15 villages in the upazila and continued movement for getting khas land. Following their movement, the government demarcated 371 acres of khas land and 101 acres of water body in 2005. Despite a provision of government khas land distribution policy that denies a widow getting allocation if she has no able son, many widows got allocationin their name. ALRD has been providing technical support including training, legal aid, linkage with local administration and media since 1993.