Lucknow, July 22 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed officers to grant legal land ownership rights to families displaced from East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) who have been resettled across various districts in Uttar Pradesh. The state government's decision is likely to provide relief to over 10,000 families who had migrated from East Pakistan and are now residing in Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bijnor, and Rampur districts. The action for granting land ownership to the displaced families should be time-bound, the chief minister said at a high-level meeting. Terming the issue as more than just a matter of land transfer, Adityanath said, "This is an opportunity to honour the decades-long struggle of thousands of families who took refuge in India and have waited for rightful rehabilitation. These families must be treated with both sensitivity and dignity. It is the moral responsibility of the government." According to official records, after the Partition of India and Pakistan, thousands of displaced families from East Pakistan were resettled in Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bijnor and Rampur districts between 1960 and 1975. Initially, the families were settled in transit camps and provided agricultural land for livelihood. A majority of these families have still not received legal ownership due to discrepancies in records and administrative delays, a state government officer said. Officials informed the chief minister that although land has been allotted to the families in several villages, yet various legal and administrative hurdles, including land being recorded under the forest department, incomplete transfer procedures and lack of physical possession, have prevented many families from receiving the formal land rights. In some areas, families from other states have also been resettled, but continue to remain without legal ownership, the officer said. The present assessments reveal that in many villages, displaced families have been cultivating land for years and have even constructed permanent homes. Yet, their names are still missing from official land records. In contrast, some of the original allottees no longer reside in those areas. Additionally, in certain areas, individuals have taken possession of land without completing the necessary legal formalities, leading to further complications, he said. Addressing the challenges, the chief minister emphasized the need to explore alternative legal mechanisms in light of the repeal of the Government Grant Act in 2018. He instructed the officers to explore new provisions within the existing legal framework to resolve these long-standing issues. "This is not just a policy decision; it is a sensitive and historic step toward delivering justice to the displaced families who have lived in uncertainty for decades," the chief minister said. "This effort must be viewed through the lens of social justice, humanity, and national responsibility. It is a chance to restore dignity to lives long overlooked," he added....