The State Government’s Vasundhara scheme which aims at providing land to homeless people, has reportedly failed to meet its goal in Subarnapur district.
The villagers of Laxmimunda in Tarbha block are on a dharna under the leadership of social activist Mitabrata Mishra in front of the tehsil office for the last two days here demanding that their lands under the scheme be identified by the tehsil administration, which were allotted to them in 2013.
Sources said 15 villagers of Laxmimunda have been allotted a piece of 40 decimal land by the Subarnapur district administration, who have been running from pillar to post to take possession of the land for which pattas (record of rights) were issued 10 years back. The pattas for the land allotted to them, issued by the Tarbha tehsildar, were handed over to the villagers on May 30, 2013 by local MLA and Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari.
This is not the story of only Laxmimunda villagers alone. Across the district, the Vasundhara Scheme has thrown up many such stories. Landless have been allotted lands which exist only on paper as homestead. What they get for real is land occupied by others. In some cases, the lands are unlivable while in others, lands just are not available for occupancy.
Though land was allotted in favour of Rajib Sarbhang, a villager of Laxmimunda, it did not end his ordeal as he had not even identified his land although he is giving the land revenue (E-Pauti) of that patta.
Similar is the plight of Gita Sarbhang of this village who was given the patta for 40 decimal land 10 years back. Sarbhang too is yet to getpossession of the land.
While contacted, Tehsildar Kirti Pradhan said steps would be taken to resolve the dispute. "I have already ordered to the concerned Revenue Inspector (RI) to identify their land," he added.