Govt provides forgery land patta to tribals: Samruddha Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Samruddha Odisha (SO), a regional political outfit, alleged that the State Government has distributed thousands of forgery pattas (RoRs) to the tribal peoples in the State without handing over the possession of the land. The tribal people have Pattas in pen and paper, but they yet to take the possession of the land, alleged the party. The party at a Press meet here on Saturday demanded judicial inquiry into the land forgery case.

The party at the Press meet criticised the State Government, who have suddenly discovered themselves as champions of tribal welfare and tribal interests by supporting PA Sangma as presidential candidate, for hoodwinking the innocent tribals. “The tribals are roaming around the local tehsil offices with the Patta, but no one knows where their land is! Will the tribals plough the pen and paper existed land or sow the seeds on pen and paper,” questioned the party secretary.

According to SO Vice-president Gupteswar Panigrahy, the party members have spotted thousands of forgery land pattas during a survey. Producing one of the survey datas, the Vice-president said the tribal people from Mainamal and Paikaphulbeda village of Paikaphulbeda panchayat under Dasmantapur block in Koraput district have received 78 land Pattas, but they don’t know where their lands are! The landless tribals are still waiting to get the possession of the land.

SO president Jatish Mohanty said Chief Minister of the State Naveen Patnaik is hoodwinking the tribal people of the State. Patnaik is enjoying the power for the last 12 years, if he wanted; he could have change the fate of the State’s entire tribal community which constitutes 24 per cent of the population. “The land patta forgery is a matter of concern, we demand judicial inquiry into the matter,” demanded Mohanty.    

SO president openly challenged the Chief Minister in the land forgery case. He said that if the Chief Minister has guts, order the judicial probe into the matter. “We are not politicising the issue, it is a matter of fact. If Naveen wants, we would bring thousands of tribals who did not get the possession of the land,” said Mohanty.           

Reacting over the allegation of the party, Revenue Minster Surya Narayan Patra said that only politicising the matter would not solve any problem. “If some problem arises while locating the lands in some cases, it happens while sorting the land pattas due to lower-level officers as we are distributing lakhs of land pattas, but we are again trying to resolve the matter,” the Minister said adding, “I agree that some problems are there, but those who are alleging against us come with the RoRs and produce before us, we will solve that matter.”