In another such incident, a retired IAS officer, livnis Kindo, has brought an allegation of extortion collection against Jhantelbuda PESA gram sabha in Sundargarh district recently.
While reports of villagers claiming their rights in all village matters under the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 on rise, the allegation brought by Kindo has been a matter of discussion now.
In his complaint lodged at the Bargaon police station, he alleged that Jhandelbuda villagers demanded Rs 20, 000 from a diary firm, named ‘Dia Diary’, owned by him. The Bargaon police have registered a case and started investigation into the matter.
Sources said Kindo received a letter from the Jhantelbuda PESA gram sabha asking him to pay Rs 20, 000 for meeting the expenditure of ‘stone erection’ (Pathar gadi) programme in the village. They claim that 'Pathar gadi' is the age-old tradition of the tribal community.
Sources said the letter, which has signatures of about 35 villagers, including of the gram sabha president and secretary, mentions that the diary firm’s construction has been illegal as per provisions of Schedule 5 of Article 244 of the constitution. Therefore, the owner is bound to pay Rs 20,000 to the village gram sabha, which would be used in stone erection function.
“We have registered a case and are conducing investigation into the matter,” said Bargaon PS IIC laxmikanta Pradhan. Significantly, villagers of Amghat under the Rajgagnpur police station had locked the pump house and stopped water supply to OCl India colony at Rajgagnpur for two months, demanding Rs 1 lakh per month to the village committee. The water supply to the company was restored recently only after intervention of the administration.
Similarly, laing locals under the Rajgagnpur PS had barged into the Suraj Products ltd premises recently claiming that the land acquisition was not legal as permission from PESA gram sabha was not taken. Police had to arrest 47 persons in this incident.