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Nine tribal families show ownership papers of land
Nine of the 17 tribal families, which claimed Lavasa Corporation had bought their land for the hill station project in Pune district, recently submitted documents with the revenue department claiming ownership on their land. Satyajit Joshi reports.
Nine of the 17 tribal families, which claimed Lavasa Corporation had bought their land for the hill station project in Pune district, recently submitted documents with the revenue department claiming ownership on their land.
The Pune collector had issued notices to 17 tribal families, seeking evidence of their identity and proof of land ownership as Lavasa Corporation has been accused of buying tribal land.
The notices were issued under the Adivasi Land Restoration Act, 1974, which mandates that non-tribal parties or individuals cannot purchase land owned by tribals.
If proved that Lavasa has bought land owned by tribals, then as per the act, the families could get their land back.
Lavasa Corporation, however, maintained that it had not purchased any tribal land and there was no mention of tribal land on the 7/12 extracts, as per their records. The nine families submitted the documents with the Bhugaon village revenue office recently.
A delegation of the National Alliance for People’s Movement met Sanjay Patil, Maval taluk sub-divisional officer, who assured them that any tribal family, which believes that Lavasa Corporation had bought their land, can submit their ownership documents at any time — there was no deadline.
The 17 tribal families, which were issued notices, together have land holding of around 98 hectares. There are around 97 tribal families whose land has allegedly been purchased for the project.
Sources in the revenue department said there are around 51 similar cases pending before the tribunal in which land transactions involving Lavasa Corporation are being challenged under the Ceiling Act.
Once a plot is allotted to landless labourers it cannot be transferred to anyone under provisions of the Ceiling Act.
