Angul: The Congress party on Tuesday demanded action against those involved in the alleged grabbing of land belonging to people from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes in the district.
The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) working president Pradeep Majhi and senior leader Suresh Routray demanded immediate action against the government officials who had allegedly connived in usurping the land through illegal means.
They also submitted a memorandum to the district Collector demanding a thorough probe into the incident and initiate actions against those involved in the case.
“Around 700 acres of land belonging to the scheduled tribes have been grabbed illegally in the district during the tenure of the former Collector who had helped one of his relatives to grab the land,” alleged Routray at a press conference .
“We demand a thorough probe into the incident. The ownership of the land should be returned to the Scheduled Tribes after proper inquiry as soon as possible,” said Routray.
Meanwhile, Majhi has alleged that ownership of thousands of acres of land have been transferred illegally by using fake caste certificates.
“This is one of the biggest land scams in the state. We guess the state government and district administration are directly or indirectly involved in the scam. Without their involvement fake certificates would not have been issued,” alleged Majhi.
“If proper action was not taken against those involved in the illegalities within 15 days, Congress will hit the streets. We will also seek help from the vigilance department and move the High Court to seek justice for the victims,” Majhi said.