Bhubaneswar, Nov 22: The proceedings of the Odisha Assembly came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday as the opposition parties, BJP and Congress, created chaos over the contentious tribal land transfer issue.

A special motion introduced by the BJP to address concerns regarding the sale of tribal land to non-tribals led to disruptions when the Speaker rejected the motion, prompting uproar from BJP legislators.

Simultaneously, the Congress demanded the implementation of the PESA Act and also contributed to the disorder within the assembly.

In response to the protests by the opposition, Speaker Pramila Mallik adjourned the session until noon.

Notably, on November 14, the Odisha Cabinet had approved the amendment of Regulation-2 of The Orissa Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulations, 1956, following a recommendation from the Tribes Advisory Council (TAC). 

The proposed amendment allows individuals from scheduled tribes (ST) to gift, exchange for public purposes, or obtain a loan by mortgaging a plot of land in a public financial institution. The purposes include agriculture, residential construction, funding higher education for children, self-employment, business ventures, or establishing small-scale industries. Additionally, the amendment permits the transfer of land to individuals outside the ST community for these specified purposes.

However, the decision made by the Cabinet was put on hold just two days later, adding a layer of uncertainty to the proposed amendments.

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