Bigha

Bigha Latest News

The Assam government recently completed an eviction drive to clear alleged encroachment from around 6,200 bighas (nearly 830 hectares) of land in Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, affecting 710 families.

About Bigha

• It is a traditional unit of land measurement commonly used in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. 
• It is generally used for the measurement of agricultural land, although it may also be used for residential plots. 
• Historical Context:
  • The origins of Bigha trace back to ancient South Asian practices. 
  • It originated from the Sanskrit term ‘vigraha,’ which translates to division. 
  • Before the introduction of modern units like the acre or hectare, landowners and farmers relied on Bigha to calculate land for cultivation, taxation, and trade. 
  • Over time, it became deeply rooted in the cultural and economic fabric of these regions.
• Popular in states where farming is common, Bigha is used by farmers when measuring plots and negotiating land prices.
• This unit is most commonly used in the following Indian states: Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
• The exact measurement of bigha differs from state to state. 
  • For instance, in West Bengal and Assam, one bigha equals about 14,400 sq.ft., while in Punjab, it measures approximately 9,070 sq.ft. 
• There is no national standard for the size of a bigha, and it is typically smaller than an acre, which is 43,560 sq.ft. or 4,047 sq.m.
• Bigha has several subunits in different places; some common ones are:
  • Katha
  • Biswa
  • Nalli
• Bigha in Bangladesh and Nepal:
  • Bangladesh: Standardized under British rule at 14,400 sq.ft (1,340 sq.m.).
  • Nepal: A bigha equals about 6,772.63 sq.m., with local variations.

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Key Facts about Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located on the southern bank of the river Brahmaputra in the Sonitpur district, Assam. 
• It is located on the north side of Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary and shares an integral transboundary landscape of the Laokhowa-Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary ecosystem. 
• Both the sanctuary was notified as a buffer zone of the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve in 2007.
• Most of the low-lying areas of the sanctuary are vulnerable to flooding during summer. 
• Flora: It is enveloped and adorned by wet alluvial grasslands, riparian forests, and semi-evergreen forests.
• Fauna:
  • It is a habitat of a wide range of wild animals, including tigers, elephants, wild buffalos, one-horned rhinoceros, hog deer, and wild boar.
  • The avian inhabitants feature species like the Bengal florican, black-necked stork, open-billed stork, white-eyed pochard, mallard, spotbill, large whistling teal, and numerous others.

Source: PRINT