Orissa tribal: Nomadic in their own land

Although the Orissa government formulated Forest Right Act-2006 to benefit people living in the forest areas of state, people here are deprived of the benefited of this act due to the lack of interest from law enforcement authority.

The Act empowers people to have Patta of the land where they live. Despite this comprehensive act, people still have no right over the land which is in their captivity since long times.

The Government has forcefully sold their land to multinational companies in the name of industrialisation that seems to be a clear cut conspiracy against the primitive people. In the backdrop of it, tribal of different part of the state lodged this allegation in a public hearing in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

The public hearing on the Forest Right Act-2006 was organised in the state capital where more than 300 tribal participated. They complain that though the state government enacted a comprehensive law, but due to lack of interest of government and large scale corruption, this act is misnomer.

A tribal, Ranindra Deep of Binika area, alleged that more than six hundred families of his locality are living in forest area since last 150 years. But still they have no land patta and  because of which they have to suffer a lot. Even their children are being deprived of admission to schools and collages due to non availability of residential certificate.

Another tribal, Manmohan Choudhury, alleged that the state government's data in this regard is incomplete and confusing. “The government declared that it has disbursed 2 lakh 80 thousands patta till 2011, but it is unable to identify the people to whom it was disbursed. Without patta, the people of the area live a life of nomadic in their own land,” he said.

After hearing, the judges also raised their concern and asked the state government to implement the Act for the benefit of huge tribal population.