Citing that the Odisha Government land Grabbing (Prohibition) Bill 2015 recently passed in the State Assembly without discussion violates various Constitutional and statutory provisions, 24 organisations on Thursday urged the Governor not to accord his assent to the Bill.
In a memorandum submitted to Governor Dr SC Jamir, they urged Jamir to send the same to the Assembly for reconsideration in the light of the violation of Constitutional and statutory provisions as required under Article 200 of the Constitution.
“We request you to ensure that the Bill excludes the Scheduled Areas of the State from the purview of its applicability as required under Para 5(1) of Fifth schedule and a Regulation be made for the combined purposes of prohibition of land grabbing and of allotment of land to the members of the Scheduled Tribes in the Scheduled Areas as required under Para 5 (2) of the Fifth Schedule to Constitution,” the memorandum stated.
“It is therefore, the constitutional obligation of your august office to make the regulation for prohibition of land grabbing and land allotment in ST, especially at a moment when the State Government is making frantic bid to enact the above Bill with the seal of your approval-a Bill, ultra virus the constitutional and statutory provisions and also fraught with all-round disaster for the people living in the Scheduled Areas,” the memorandum added.
The Governor was urged to order the Government to provide land and homestead to the landless households before evicting them from the public lands under their occupation.