Odisha clash: Govt announces Rs 10 lakh for deceased tribal woman’s family

Bhubaneswar, Jan 2 (PTI) The Odisha government announced a financial aid of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the tribal woman who was killed over a land dispute and house damage assistance up to Rs 75,000 in a subsequent clash in Malkangiri district last month.

The government also decided to implement a series of measures to resolve various long-pending issues, such as land rights, rehabilitation and education problems, affecting tribal communities in Malkangiri, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulanada Mallik told reporters here on Thursday.

Based on the recommendations of a ministerial team that had visited the violence-hit MV-26 village, the decisions were made at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently, he said.

The team, headed by Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, held discussions with the groups of tribals and Bengali settlers on December 11.

The angry tribal residents of Rakhelguda had set fire to over 200 houses of Bengali settlers at MV 26 village following the recovery of the headless body of a 51-year-old tribal woman from a river passing through their village.

The police have arrested the accused person following the clash, and prohibitory orders had been imposed in the area and internet services suspended for about a week due to the tension.

“The state government has decided to provide the special financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the deceased tribal woman identified as Lake Padiami of Rakhleguda village from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund,” Mallik said, adding that the government also decided to provide financial assistance for house damage in the clash.

He said, based on the district administration's report, each partially or fully damaged house in the village will be given financial assistance up to a maximum of Rs 75,000, as per the assessed loss.

Similarly, for repair of damaged shops, each shopkeeper will be provided assistance up to a maximum of Rs 20,000, the minister said.

The government also discussed in detail the issues faced by local tribals.

“It has been decided that the district collector will review the hundreds of pending land-related cases every fortnight and report on the progress to the government,” he said.

Arrangements will be made to provide permanent pattas (land records) under the Forest Rights Act and the Odisha Government Land Settlement Act. The collector will review the progress every month and inform the state government.

As resentment was brewing over non-rehabilitation of families displaced by the Machhkund Irrigation Project, it was decided that permanent pattas would be provided to the affected families, he said.

The Revenue & Disaster Management Department, in coordination with the Water Resources Department, will work out a long-term solution, the minister said.

The Revenue & Disaster Management Department's additional chief secretary has been asked to conduct a quarterly review of the rehabilitation and other land-related matters of Malkangiri district and report to the government. PTI AAM NN BDC