Odisha Assembly adjourned thrice over sale of land by tribals in scheduled areas to non -tribals
Bhubaneswar, Nov 22 : Members of the opposition BJP and the Congress created a ruckus in the house on Wednesday over the issue of sale of land by tribals in scheduled areas to non -tribals forcing Speaker Pramila Mallik to adjourn the house thrice till 1600hours.
Due to the agitation by the opposition members the question hour was washed out and the house could not transact any business in the first half of the session.
As soon as the house assembled at 1030hrs to conduct the question hour business , the BJP members carrying placards and shouting slogans trooped into the well of the house demanding the government to withdraw the November 14 cabinet decision allowing the tribals in scheduled areas to sell their land to non tribals.
Soon the members of the Congress also joined the BJP members and disrupted the proceedings and demanded the withdrawal of the decision.
The Speaker adjourned the house at 1032 hrs till 1200 hrs as despite repeated request to the agitating members to go to their seats and participate in the business of the house did not yield any result.
Outside the house Opposition Chief Whip Mohan Majhi said they have given notice to discuss the issue through a motion cancelling all other business of the house but the Speaker rejected it.
Congress leader Tara Bahinipati also demanded the complete withdrawal of the decision and to enact the PESA act in the state.
There was no change in situation after the house assembled after the adjournment . The opposition members again rushed into the well and continued their agitation.
Finding no other alternative, the speaker adjourned the house again till 1245 hours and called an all party meeting to break the dead lock. But the all party meeting failed to resolve the problem as the agitating members again rushed to the well.
The speaker requested the members to go to their seat and cooperate in conducting the business of the house but as the members did not pay any heed to it, the Speaker adjourned the house at 1245 hrs ill 1600 hours.
Odisha Cabinet on November 14 last had approved a proposal to amend the Orissa Scheduled areas Transfer of immovable property (by scheduled tribes) Regulation,1956 allowing tribals to transfer land to non-tribals in scheduled areas.
Two days after the decision on November 17 Revenue Minister Sudam Marndi on his social media account X said, ‘’The proposed Amendment to Regulation-2 of 1956 discussed in the Cabinet meeting held on 14th November 2023, regarding transfer of Tribal lands has been withhold,”
The cabinet had decided that a member of the ST community can gift a land parcel to a non tribal for agriculture or industrial purpose, 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 of children, self-employment, business or establishment of small-scale industries.
Opposition Chief whip Mohan Majhi said the government is anti-tribal and the cabinet decision is a conspiracy against tribals to loot their land and make them landless and demanded to completely withdraw it.
