The Jeypore Sugar Company(Jeysco), established in the year 1936 at Rayagada town of the erstwhile Koraput district, has become defunct since 1994, according to the reports of Factories and Boilers Department, the District labour Office and the Regional Pollution Control Board.
As per the report of the Govt Revenue Officer-cum-Tehsildar, Jeysco should return 506.69 acres of ceiling surplus land to the Government for fruitful use. But with some or other plea, it has moved to the Supreme Court to stall the transfer of such huge amount of land to the Government record.
Entire Rayagada district comes under Schedule-V and land is a very sensitive issue in the tribal district. Adivasi leaders under the banner of Adivasi Mahasangha submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Odisha asking for distribution of the land retained by Jeysco among the poor tribals and Dalits or otherwise they would be compelled to forcefully take possession of the same land into their control.
The Government is almost forcing the tribals to renew their caste certificates every six months. The process is cumbersome and costing them a lot of money and labour.
The tribals have demanded the issuance of caste certificates once and for all. “It is unfortunate that the
Government is issuing temporary residence certificates to the local tribals like that of outsiders staying in this district for last five years. We demand permanent residence certificates for the local adivasis and Dalits,” said convenor and vice-president of Adivasi Mahasangha Basanta Ulaka.
For search of livelihood, scores of adivasis and Dalits have migrated from the interior villagers into the municipality and NACs of the district. Though they have contributed immensely to the growth of these towns, they have not been allotted pattas in the bastis they have been staying since several years and in spite of petitions to several authorities, nobody has paid any heed to them. They should be properly identified by the revenue authorities and provided entitlement to the land of stay, demanded the members of the Mahasangha.
The tribals are not getting housing loans from banks pledging their land patta even if free from OlR Act-1956. They have demanded to promulgate a special act in this regard.
Though most of the land belongs to the tribals, almost 80 per cent of land is with the rich and landlords. The Mahasangha members demanded to institute an inquiry regarding the alienation and return the land to the original landholders. They also expressed their concern about the inaction by the State police to nab the murderers of adivasi leader and Councillor Bhagirathi Manding of Tumbiguda and thereby injustice meted out to the members of Bhagirathi. Demand for immediate arrest of the culprits has been made.
The members submitted the memorandum to the Governor through the District Collector, Rayagada. Assistant Collector, Rayagada laxmi Narayan Sabat received the memorandum on behalf of the Collector.
Among others present were Pratap Puala, Demba Pedanti, Tripati Kadraka, Sankar Meleka, Somanath Jakaka, Raising Bidika(Jr), Mina Rao Tadingi, Krishna Toika and other Mahasangha leaders.