SAMBALPUR: A tribal woman Gangi Munda (67), a native of Gengutipali under Sadar police limits here, called on the Collector on Monday demanding action against land mafias and officials who sold off her land, valued at about ` 10 crore, in Sambalpur town, fraudulently.
Gangi, living in penury, said her name was surreptitiously deleted from the RoR of 4.67 acres of land under Ainthapali Mouza in Sambalpur town by land mafias declaring her dead with no heir.
The land was purchased by one Jagmohan Singh of Surguja in Chhattisgarh in 2004 without her knowledge, she alleged.
Besides, Singh had availed of a fake Scheduled Tribe certificate issued by the Sambalpur Sadar Tehsil.
The matter came to light in 2009 after the then additional sub-collector Ashok Kumar Purohit found the anomaly when the case was put up before him.
Not only the attempt to grab land was foiled, Purohit had also directed the Sambalpur Tehsildar to record the land in the name of Gangi and the other co-holders, cancel the caste certificate issued to Singh and initiate criminal proceedings against persons involved in the illegal activity.
The issue also brought to the fore a nexus between the land sharks and the officials of Tehsil office even as Purohit alleged involvement of two Revenue officials in facilitating the transfer of tribal land to non-tribals.
Unfortunately, the land is yet to be recorded in the name of Gangi with a case pending before Member, Board of Revenue in Cuttack, after Singh appealed against the directives of Purhoit.
Gangi further alleged that one Md Roshan sold the same land to some other person forcibly on November 23, 2011 without paying the agreed amount.
Questioning the role of Sadar Revenue Inspector Jugal Mohanty, Gangi said how could Mohanty allow selling of the land with the case still pending.
Gangi has submitted a memorandum addressed to Collector Mrinalini Darswal seeking her intervention and appropriate action to get back her land.