BHUBANESWAR: Tribal leaders of the state, cutting across party lines, have yet again called for amending the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property Regulations, 1956, to allow tribals sell their land to non-tribals.
This, they said, will open up opportunities for the tribals to address financial emergencies, be it educating their children or setting up small businesses. At the recent Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting, 11 tribal leaders including ministers, MPs and MLAs gave their approval for substituting sub-section (i) of Section 3 of Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulation, 1956, with a recommendation.
They recommended transfer of immovable property by way of gift or exchange for public purpose or mortgage or lease executed in favour of any public financial institution for securing loan granted by such institutions for the purpose of agriculture, construction of house, higher studies of children, self-employment, business or establishment of small scale industry to be allowed with the prior permission of sub-collector. If the sub-collector refuses to grant permission, the person concerned may within six months appeal to the collector on the issue whose decision shall be final.
TAC member and CPM MLA Laxman Munda said there are many poor tribals who have no asset other than their land but are unable to sell it to meet emergency capital needs. Rayagada MLA (Ind) Markanda Muduli, another member, said banks do not sanction loans to tribals who wish to mortgage their lands because of their low value as compared to general land. “The land have low value because these can only be sold back to tribals. There have been instances in the past when tribal land have been sold to non-tribals illegally for industrial and mining purposes. If the sale is legalised, it will only benefit the tribals who are unable to do so due to the stringent law,” he added.
Similarly, BJD MP from Nabarangpur Ramesh Majhi said this has been a longstanding demand of the tribals and the TAC approval is only for specific purposes like education, health emergency, self-employment and marriage. The leaders hope the proposed amendment to the law will get President Droupadi Murmu’s assent this time. Earlier, the proposal for amending the law to allow tribals sell their land to non-tribals was rejected by the then President Pratibha Patil in 2009.
Commissioner-cum-secretary of the department Roopa Roshan Sahoo said the state government has no say in the TAC decision as it is a Constitutional body. Following the TAC approval, the state government will move the file to Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal and then President Murmu for her assent.