Despite incessant rains, several tribals under the banner of the CPI (M) demonstrated before the Thuamul Rampur tehsil office in Kalahandi district of Odisha on Wednesday to protest against their patta land being handed over to Utkal Alumina of Aditya Birla group, without their consent.
The agitators were led by CPI (M) state secretary Ali Kishore Patnaik. The agitators alleged that the government officials of the area were acting as agents of the private company and were helping the company grab patta land of tribals as well as forest land in Baflamali hills area. Mr Patnaik claimed that this seems to be intentional.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr Patnaik said: “Greatest irony is that Odisha CM had distributed land patta to landless tribal families of Durmushi and Surajgarh in 2011 under the Forest Rights Act. Same land for which the tribals have the patta has been encroached upon by the company which claims to be having lease for the land from the government.”
He lamented that land of some families having patta of 1929 has also been handed over to the company.
One hundred and sixty four tribal families from four villages of Thuamul Rampur block are facing this problem. They have decided to continue their fight like their counterparts in Niyamgiri area against the alleged land grabbing by the company with support of government officials, said Mr Patnaik.
