Civil bodies demand land rights for poor tribals, Dalits
Thursday, 18 July 2013
BHUBANESWAR
Thousands of Dalits and tribals living in the State are yet to get land rights, alleged social activists of various organisations while participating at a State-level meet on development and protection of land rights organised by the Odisha Dalit Adhikar Manch (ODAM) and the Odisha Jami Adhikar Abhijan (OJAA) here on Tuesday.
ODAM coordinator Prashant Mallick and OJAA chairman Manas Jena said 10,000 landless families had applied in the OGLS-I form to get land, but they are still in confusion whether they would get a patch of land or not. Due to the Government’s apathy, families could not get it, they alleged.
There are so many hamlets in the State, but they could not be taken as revenue villages. Though the State has ceiling surplus land, Patita Kissam land and Bhoodan land, the State Government has failed to distribute these lands among the poor landless families, said the activists and demanded that the Government take appropriate steps to distribute the surplus land among the needy.
Activists including Ekta Parishad Odisha convener Kahnu Mohanty, Sishir Tripathy of Omapan, Lokmukti Sangathan Anant Panda and Tribal Organisation Network’s Theophyl Gamango demanded that the Government distribute forestland among the traditional forest dwellers. “If the Govt fails to fulfil the demands, we will take the issue to the streets,” said the activists.
Source: Daily Pioneer
