Adivasi community opposes Patta settlement, demands ownership of land

MP | 29 Sept 2023 | Siliguri: The Land Patta impasse has now spilled over from the Darjeeling Hills to the plains. The United Forum for Adivasi Rights submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister via Sub Divisional Officer (SDO,) Siliguri demanding the issue of land ownership Records of Rights (RoR) Raiyati Khatiyan on entire homestead land under their possession and withdrawal of 5 decimal land patta settlement notification for the workers of North Bengal Tea Garden Region. 

On Friday, the organisation took out a rally from Mahatma Gandhi More in Siliguri. Thousands of Adivasi community people participated in the rally. The rally ended at the SDO office with representatives of the organisation submitting the memorandum to the SDO. 

Raj Kumar Kashyap, Convenor of the organisation said: “We and our ancestors have been residents of tea garden lands for a long time. We disagree with the government’s decision of homestead Patta settlement. We want complete ownership of our land. 

We want our demand to come to the notice of the Chief Minister; therefore we submitted the memorandum.” Department of Land and Land Reforms, and Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation, Land Policy Branch had issued a notification on 1st August 2023, proposing to grant 5 decimal homestead patta on unutilized resumed land of tea gardens to eligible beneficiaries through a scheme. The rally was in opposition to this notification. 

The Adivasi communities in the North Bengal Terai tea garden region have submitted approximately 7,000 ROR Khatyan applications for their homestead land in the four blocks of Darjeeling district. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/adivasi-community-opposes-patta-settlement-demands-ownership-of-land-534790