Bhubaneswar: Three days after the Odisha cabinet decided to amend a regulation, allowing ST people to transfer their land to non-tribals, the government Friday withheld it, amid protests by the opposition parties.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi, however, did not reveal the reasons behind the withholding of the decision taken during the November 14 meeting.
“The proposed Amendment to Regulation-2 of 1956, discussed in the cabinet meeting held November 14 regarding transfer of tribal land, has been withheld,” Marndi wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The state cabinet had decided to amend the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by STs) Regulation, 1956 to facilitate the transfer of land by ST community people to non-tribals.
As per the cabinet decision, an ST person can provide a gift, exchange for public purposes or obtain a loan by mortgaging a plot of land in a public financial institution for agriculture, construction of residential house, higher studies for children, self-employment, business or establishment of small scale industries or transfer it in favour of a person not belonging to ST community for these purposes.
The ST people, however, will have to obtain written permission from the sub-collector to sell their land.
If the sub-collector declines to give permission, a person can appeal to the collector within six months, whose decision shall be final.
The opposition BJP and Congress had Wednesday alleged that it was a “conspiracy to help mafia, industrialists and contractors buy tribal land”.
Senior Congress MLA and party’s whip in the assembly Taraprasad Bahinipati said there was “no reason for the state government to go for an amendment to the regulation after passing legislation in the House preventing transfer of tribal land to non-tribals in 2002”.
“The Congress then in 2002 had demanded tribals be allowed to mortgage their land for availing of loans. The November 14 cabinet decision appears to be a conspiracy to loot tribals,” Bahinipati said.
According to the last amendment to the regulation made in 2002, an ST person can transfer his immovable property only to the person belonging to the tribal community while he/she was allowed to mortgage his/her land to any public financial institution only for agricultural purposes.
Odisha BJP ST Morcha president Nityanand Gond also alleged that the move to amend the regulation was aimed at wooing tribals ahead of elections next year as many ST people were seeking permission to sell their land.
The state government, in a note after the cabinet meeting November 14, stated that the decision to allow STs to transfer their land to non-tribals was taken as per the recommendation of the Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) to help educated tribal people monetise their land for education, industry and other purposes.
However, Gond claimed that he was not aware of such a decision of the advisory panel though he had been a member of the council.
He had threatened that the BJP would hold demonstrations if the government did not roll back the cabinet decision.
PTI