Crorepati forced to live in slum as tribal land clandestinely sold by land mafia in Sambalpur

Allegations of illegal land acquisition have brought to light the plight of a tribal family battling for justice amidst administrative neglect in Sambalpur. Despite owning land valued in crores of rupees, family members of Ram Munda reside in a makeshift dwelling at a slum as their ancestral territory has been clandestinely sold and developed.

The controversy began over ten years ago, with claims pointing to the sale of 50 decimals of tribal land to non-tribals in defiance of regulations. Such transactions, reportedly executed in 2010, allegedly involved forged permissions from sub-district officers, typically necessary for legal sales.

The betrayal of trust is central to Ram Munda’s story. A land broker, under the guise of purchasing only five decimals, ultimately seized the entire land lot through manipulation and deceit. Since then, though the Munda family has sought justice, their pleas are yet to be heeded.

“We came to know about the matter before five years. When we started to construct a house on our land, we were told that it had been sold. Since then we have sought justice without any success,” said Ram Munda.

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“Our lands have been illegally sold and we have not got a single penny from it. Even, we are not able to construct a house on our own land,” said Ram’s wife Purni Munda.

Further complicating the matter, the documents presented are suspected forgeries, including permissions supposedly involving outdated licenses. Notably, signatures attributed to Munda’s late son Mohan appear in flawless English, despite his inability to write in the language, fuelling suspicions of fraud.

“The land has been illegally sold. There should have been proper inquiry before the registration which has not been done,” said complainant’s lawyer Prashant Kumar Panigrahi.

Regional laws mandate non-tribals require consent and a detailed legal process to purchase tribal lands. Nonetheless, unchecked development activities have raised questions about potential administrative collusion.

In reaction to the disclosures, district officials have been tasked with thorough investigations. The Assistant Sub-Registrar signalled a potential annulment of fraudulent registrations to allow for the demolition of unauthorised constructions.

“When the Sub-Collector gives permission, one copy each is issued to the party and the DSR office. If it has not been taken with proper permission, all the transactions should have been null and void,” said Surjyanarayan Samal, DSR Sambalpur.

In response, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari has directed the District Collector to conduct a full inquiry, emphasising the need to deliver justice. 

“I have received the fake order of the Sub-Collector for selling out of the tribal land. I have sent the allegation to the Collector and the Sub-Collector of Sambalpur. They have been directed to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit a report,” said Pujari.