Agarpada: Several landless families living in poverty were allotted land pattas in Agarpada area of Bhadrak district eight years back. However, the families ironically continue to be landless as the administration is yet to identify their land, it is alleged.
According to reports, then tehsildar of Bant had issued pattas of four decimal of land each to landless families of Mantri Majhi, Salpi Hansda, Sita Marandai, Kuni Majhi, Sudam marndi, Ram Majhi and Champa Majhi in Olanaga village under Adai panchayat for building homes August 2, 2008.
The beneficiaries however alleged that though they have not been given possession of the land, they are being made to pay revenue of the land for the last eight years.
These seven landless tribal families had migrated from Binapatia area under Hatadihi tehsil in Keonjhar district about 20 years ago and settled on a patch of government land at Oldanga mouza in Bhadrak.
As they were landless, they had repeatedly applied to the administration for land pattas. However, after repeated visits, they were granted land pattas in Adia mouza.
“We do not know the patch of land allotted to us. Where is its location? We do not know whether the land is already occupied by others or not,” said some beneficiaries.
Their habitation lies in a patch of land surrounded by land where access to ambulance or any other vehicle is not possible in the absence of a road.
They added that the government cannot carry out various development works such as lighting, communication, housing and toilets, because the land does not belong to them.
Gopinath Majhi lamented that in the last eight years, many tehsildars have come and gone, but none has paid heed to their problems.
Shankar Marandi said,”We have been paying revenues for the land for which pattas were provided to us. But we do not know where our land is.”
“We are poor and illiterate. That’s why we are ignored. We are deprived of housing and toilet facilities,” said Parbati Marandi.
“In the rainy season, we remain marooned. Our children are unable to venture out for studies while patients are carried on cots to hospitals in the absence of a road,” Salpi Handa said. PNN
