'Shall I touch your feet...?' Nitish Kumar's sarcastic request to official on Bihar land survey

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday urged the officials of the Revenue and Land Reforms department to speed up the ongoing work of land survey in the state, saying that it must be completed before the Assembly elections.

The assembly elections are due in the state sometime in October-November next year.

"I have said that these works (land survey) must be done before the elections (Assembly elections in the state). If all these works are done before July 2025, it will be good... I bow to you (additional chief secretary Deepak Kumar Singh) with folded hands. Shall I touch your feet? I say this to everyone, do it as soon as possible," he said.

The chief minister was speaking at a function to distribute appointment letters to candidates selected for the posts of special survey assistant settlement officer and other related posts.

#WATCH | While speaking at the appointment letter distribution ceremony of candidates selected for the posts of Special Survey Assistant Settlement Officer and other related posts, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar says, "...I have said that these works (land survey) must be done before the… pic.twitter.com/8y14Ij4Gys

— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2024

The state government reportedly started the special aerial survey and settlement of lands across the state in the year 2013.

According to Kumar, more than 60 per cent of incidents of crime in the state occur mainly because of land-related disputes. "Our main aim behind conducting special surveys and settlement is to reduce the cases of land disputes in the state. The government has taken several steps to reduce the cases of land disputes. The work of special survey and settlement is an important step in this direction," Kumar said.

(With agency inputs)