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BJP MLA seeks probe into ‘illegal’ land transfer to ‘encroachers’ in Santhal Pargana
BJP's Devendra Kunwar calls for a probe into illegal land transfers to Bangladeshi infiltrators in Santhal Pargana, raising concerns in the Assembly.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Devendra Kunwar on Friday demanded a high-level probe into the alleged illegal transfer of land in Santhal Pargana region of the state, alleging that Bangladeshi infiltrators were grabbing tribal land in violation of Santhal Parganas Tenancy (SPT) Act, 1949.
Raising the issue during the Question Hour in Assembly, Kunawar said, “After Sahibganj and Pakur districts of Santhal Pargana, Bangladeshi infiltrators are now entering Dumka district, which is a matter of serious concern.”
In response, revenue and land reforms minister Deepak Birua said Section 42 of the SPT Act had provision for the eviction of the illegal possessor or encroacher from the transferred land and the restoration of the land to the original owner. The Act was designed to protect tribal land rights by prohibiting or restricting the transfer of land to non-tribals in the Santhal Pargana region.
“Strict compliance with the above-mentioned sections is being enforced by all the districts under Santhal Pargana. I would suggest the member to provide the specific cases of illegal land transfer and action would be taken against encroachers accordingly,” he added,
In a separate matter, CPI(ML) Liberation legislator Arup Chatterjee demanded health minister Irfan Ansari present the report of the probe into five children suffering from thalassemia testing HIV positive after blood transfusion in Chaibasa.
Replying to Chatterjee, Ansari said the probe was underway and the report would soon be released. BJP MLAs alleged the government was not serious about the issue, leading to an uproar in the House.
“Six months have passed but the probe is yet to be completed. I demand that the report be presented in the House during the ongoing session,” Chatterjee said, supported by the BJP members.
The health minister, however, said it was a technical issue so he couldn’t give a deadline for when the report would be available, but he underlined that appropriate action would be taken against the culprits.
