Kendrapara: The Orissa High Court recently directed the district Collector, while delivering verdict on a writ petition (1923/2019), to re-convert jungle kissam land into homestead land; issue fresh RoR in place of K Form patta; and to collect land revenue from settlers. The Collector was asked to settle the matter within four weeks.
Padmanav Choudhury of Rajgarh, Samir Mistri of Kharanashi and Arjun Mandal of Ramnagar had filed a writ before the High Court (W.P(C) PIL No-1923/2019) alleging that many people of Kharanshi, Ramnagar, Batighar and Jamboo gram panchayats in the Mahakalapada block of Kendrapara district had been settled in the block since 1951 as per the Rehabilitation and Resettlement policy (Refugee) of the Centre.
They were allotted lands— both homestead and farmland— by the state government in 1976. They were also given pattas and K Form pattas showing ownership of land.
But they alleged in their writ petition that they came to know in 2013 that the land allotted to them had been converted into jungle kissam and no revenue can be collected from them. They had approached the Revenue authorities several times to pay tax in vain.
A high-level meeting was convened regarding this September 22, 2017 under the chairmanship of the Revenue minister to consider their grievances.
The Revenue minister had also directed the Collector to prepare the forest diversion proposal for the entire land and submit the same to the Forest and Environment department for transmission to Union MoEF. Non-forest land had to be identified in the same or in other districts for compensatory afforestation, the Minister had directed.
But the petitioners alleged in their writ petitions that local Revenue authorities did not act as per the direction of the Revenue minister.
As a result they are not getting loans or benefits from the state government as there is no record of land in their names.
PNN