Cong flays Govt for not providing pattas to tribals

Bhopal, June 27, 2012 (HMNS): State Congress has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in the State has not only failed to provide pattas to the forest dwellers and tribals but is acting discrimination over the issue.

Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) spokesman JP Dhanopia in a statement here on Tuesday said, “The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at Centre brought very important Schedule Tribe and other traditional forest dwellers Act 2006 and implemented it for providing pattas to tribals to earn their living with pride. The BJP Government of the State announced to implement the Act but has failed to provide the pattas to tribals and forest dwellers at the place where they are living or doing farming.”

Dhanopia further said that the BJP Government is doing discrimination in distributing pattas to the tribals, only those tribals are provided pattas who have either joined the BJP or are acting on the directives of the BJP leadership. In these circumstances over 10 lakh tribals who are living in the forests have inclined towards Maoists that is not in the interest of the state, he added.

He said that the state government rejected over 60 per cent applications of the tribals without any valid reason, who applied for the pattas. Many organisations working in the interest of the tribals and forest dwellers brought this injustice in the notice of State Government but no action was initiated, he added.

The State Congress spokesman demanded from Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that the Central Act should be imposed in its true form and the tribals and forest dwellers be provided their right at the earliest.