A civil society delegation led by former Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo on Thursday met Governor SC Jamir and urged him to send back the Odisha land Grabbing (Prohibition) Bill-2015 “arbitrarily” passed by the State Government on August 27.
Members of the delegation apprised the Governor about the anti-people sections of the Bill which would deprive the poor, tribal, dalits and slum dwellers of their basic as well as constitutional rights.
“We find serious concerns on the whole provisions and contents of the Bill, which posed a serious threat to the future land rights and livelihood of dalits, tribals, daily wage earners, slum dwellers and land less marginal farmers of the State,” said the activists.
The members requested the Governor to send back the Bill for discussion in the Assembly for appropriate amendments in some draconian provisions of the Bill and with a direction to secure its compliance to the provisions made under Part-IX and Part-IX(A) of the Constitution.
They also urged him to make a regulation on prohibition of land grabbing and land distribution in scheduled areas as required under para 5(2) of the Fifth Schedule.
Among others, senior journalist Rabi Das, human rights activist Biswapriya Kanungo, Sandeep Pattnaik from the National Council for Advocacy Studies, State Convener and INSAF State convener Narendra Mohanty went with the delegation.