538 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ তৃতীয় পত্র The abolition of the Zamindari system with compensation to the ex-rent-receivers did not produce any appreciable or significant & meaningful effect on the economy of Bangladesh............. it did not go far enough to bring about fundamental changes in the system of land tenure in the country. The policy of Awami League in regard to land system, as noted above, was conceived in the light of the situation prevailing in the country before March 25, 1971. The situation since March 25, 1971, has undergone a revolutionary change. The fundamental question is; should not the policy of the Government be adjusted to meet the revolutionary requirement of a revolutionary situation? Our mighty anti-colonial war of liberation against the West Pakistani military- landed-industrial-bureaucratic ruling clique or oligarchy advancing side by side with the social revolution & forming part of it, is the main reason why the society of Bangladesh of post-liberation era will be radicably & fundamentally different from that of Bangladesh before March 25, 1971. Can the Government remain indifferent to it? It will put the whole thing in its proper perspective if we have a look at the characteristic of the agricultural farms in Bangladesh. The following table gives an idea about it: - -: Cropping - Family working - - Size of Farm No. of farms members for ಸ್ಧ' р. cultivated area (p.c) p.C. Less than0.5 acres |3 | 11.8 165 0.5 to 0.1 || 2 3.7 170 1.0 to 2.5 27 13 1.6 |65 2.5 to 5.0 26 27 0.9 156 5.0 to 7.5 7 20 0.6 148 7.5 to 12.5 7 19 0.5 141 12.5 to 25.0 3 14 0.3 134 25.0 to 40.0 Less than 5 pc 3 0.2 128 Greater than 40.0 | 0.1 | 15 According to Pakistan (former) Census of Agriculture, the total number of farms in Bangladesh was 6,139,480 & the total cultivated area being 19,138,109 acres. In the light of the situation & facts stated above, the Government will have to decide their land policy. Land policy may be based on the following principles: (1) That the land should go to its tiller. (2) That land should be redistributed among the tillers on a per capital basis. This should be conditioned by compulsory co-operatives. This will also solve the problem of fixing the ceiling upon land holdings. The redistribution of land must obviously include the landless cultivators. (1) Pakistan census of Agriculture, Govt. of Pakistan (former) Vol. 1, 1962, p. 29, 358, 20 & 120.
