TV
Nobody can encroach upon the tribal land in Odisha. If anybody buys tribal land, it will be announced illegal and the concerned person will be evicted from the land and it will be returned to the original tribal owner, informed Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday.
In a reply to the question of MLA Bhaskar Madhei in Odisha Assembly, Minister Pujari said that aw per the Land Reform Act of 1960, if anyone purchases tribal land, it is declared illegal, and the land is returned to the rightful tribal owners through eviction processes. Currently, 654 such cases are under consideration.
Similarly, if anyone is found encroaching on tribal land, it will also be declared illegal. There are 881 such cases under consideration, the minister added.
Similarly, some persons have purchased tribal land. It will be announced illegal and the land will be returned to the original tribal owners. As many as 19, 690 cases in this regard are sub-judice.
“As per Section 30 (A) of 1960 Act, if any influential person has encroached upon any land of tribals illegally, Revenue Department officials will take necessary actions against him/her and the land will be returned to the original owner,” said Pujari.
“Deputy Collectors have been given the power to make decisions about the lands of the tribals encroached upon by non-tribal people by 2000. If there is any legal deviation in the hand over the lands, the Deputy Collectors can declare it illegal and return the land to the original tribal owner of the land,” he added.
