The Bengal cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to allow departments to sell off land in their possession to generate additional revenue.

“The proposal to allow departments to go for outright sale of plots in their possession was placed before the cabinet on Wednesday. The cabinet has approved the proposal,” said a minister.

The Telegraph had earlier reported that the state government was set to allow its departments to sell their plots to maximise revenue generation.

Sources in the state government said that initially, the departments would not be allowed to sell khas or vested land, which is ceiling-surplus land and thereafter vested with the government.

“These plots are meant for distribution among landless people. So, to save the rights of poor people, the state government will not sell off vested land,” said a source.

But other than vested land, the state government has about 15,000 to 20,000 acres acquired for various purposes, sources said.

“These plots can be sold off by government departments owning them. The state government can generate a few thousand crores through the monetisation of these plots,” said a source.

According to a section of bureaucrats, the state government is facing an acute shortage of funds to run 70-oddwelfare schemes that require more than Rs 28,000 crore annually.

“Now, selling off land instead of leasing them will generate additional revenue. But this can only be a temporary measure. If the state plans to run the schemes for a longer period, it has to increase its revenue generation through other means, including levying new taxes like user fees on roads,” said a bureaucrat.

While a section of senior bureaucrats has raised questions about the “ethics” of selling land rather than taking the traditional route of leasing them, others said the decision could hurt development projects in the state.

“The state government does not acquire land for development projects due to its hands-off land policy. All development projects are carried out on plots acquired by the Left Front government or during the tenure of the Congress government. Now, if these plots are sold to generate more revenue, several future development projects will hang in balance,” said a senior bureaucrat.

The decision to allow departments to sell their land comes a few months after the state had allowed various corporations and government companies — known as parastatals in administrative parlance — to sell off their plots to generate revenue. The decision, political observers said, would hurt the ruling party in Bengal ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“The Trinamul Congress will no longer be in a position to criticise the BJP for privatising central utilities,” said a source. The Opposition parties lost no time in criticising the government for taking “short-term measures like selling land” and saw in it a fresh opportunity to indulge in corruption.

“This will be a new source to generate cut money by the Trinamul Congress government. The decision to sell government land is simply an alibi to help the ruling party fill its coffers using corrupt means,” said senior CPM leader Samik Lahiri. The BJP was equally critical of the government’s decision.

“This is what is expected of a cash-strapped government. But the legalities must be considered carefully. Since they have sold off almost everything, the people of Bengal are waiting for the Trinamul Congress government to sell off the Howrah bridge,” BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.