JAGATSINGHPUR: Hundreds of Scheduled Caste (SC) families, under the banner of All Odisha Bhoi Samaja Bikash Parishad, staged a rally and mass dharna in front of the Balikuda tehsil on Friday, protesting the non-allocation of homestead land to them in the tehasil.
Sources said several poor families, including daily wage earners, are living in deplorable condition in various areas of the tehsil due to lack of land documents necessary to secure permanent housing under schemes like PMAY and other housing initiatives. Despite multiple pleas to the administration for the issuance of land documents, up to four decimals of land, to enable them to avail housing facilities under different schemes, nothing has come off as yet.
The demonstrators requested to issue them land pattas under Vasundhara Yojana as without the document they have been deprived of housing benefits besides their children facing problems in getting admission to educational institutions. Furthermore, without land patta, they are ineligible for financial assistance or relief from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for medical benefits, as possession of homestead land (ROR) is mandatory for obtaining an income certificate.
Mohini Kandi, Chaitanya Kandi, Nakul Kandi of Barmundali Panchayat under Balikuda tehsil, said, “We have resided in this village for the last 20 to 30 years, yet land pattas have not been issued to us. We are deprived of housing schemes and forced to live in polythene and thatched houses.”
District coordinator of the parishad, Shankar Das said, “We have sought the intervention of the chief minister, 5T secretary, collector, and other higher officials, but nothing has been done. Additional tehsildar, Balikuda, Biraja Prasan Ray assured the protesters that their issues would be addressed within a week following which the protest was called off.