The Odisha unit of the CPI(M) has demanded that the State government immediately start providing patta or documented land rights to the tribal inhabitants of ‘Swabhiman Anchal’, the erstwhile cut-off area of the Balimela reservoir.
State CPI(M) secretary Ali Kishor Patnaik said lack of proper land rights is a major obstacle in the path of development of people of this underdeveloped area. “Unless their land rights are protected, these tribals will again get exploited by outsiders,” he said.
The Balimela reservoir in Malkangiri district got direct road communication only after the inauguration of Gurupriya bridge in 2018. But till now a large number of villages in the region do not have any road connectivity. A CPI(M) activist from Malkangiri, Braja Majhi, said that locals fear people from outside will reach their area to procure land.
According to the Left party, tribals here have not yet received benefits of housing schemes for the poordue to lack of patta. “The government should declare how much land of Swabhiman Anchal is part of the Balimela project area. If the police station and government offices at Chitrakonda could come up on project land, why not provide land rights to the tribals,” said Mr. Patnaik.
The party also suggested that the State government initiate cooperative fish farming inside the Balimela reservoir and horticulture.
