JAGATSINGHPUR : The failure to implement Vasundhara Yojana, despite assurances from the administration, sparked unrest and a sit-in protest in front of the collector’s office by activists of the All Odisha Bhoi Samaja Bikash Parishad on Wednesday.
On January 12, the activists from the Parishad held a rally and mass dharna in front of the Balikuda tehsil, highlighting the non-allocation of homestead land to numerous landless Scheduled Caste (SC) or Dalit families in the tehsil. The additional tehsildar of Balikuda, Biraja Prasan Ray, had assured resolution within a week during the protest. However, after 18 days, no action was taken, leading to further agitation by the irate dalit communities.
Several SC families, including daily wage earners, in various areas of this tehsil are facing dire conditions due to the lack of necessary land documents for permanent housing under schemes like PMAY and other housing initiatives. These marginalised families are seeking land pattas under the Vasundhara Yojana for their survival.
The absence of land patta not only denies them housing benefits but also hampers their children from obtaining essential certificates. District coordinator of the Parishad Shankar Das said, “We have intensified our efforts to urge the implementation of Vasundhara Yojana, but the administration is indifferent. We have submitted a memorandum to collector Parul Patwari, demanding fulfilment of our demands within one week.”