Bhubaneswar, 09 March (H.S.): Congress legislators on Monday urged the Odisha government to implement the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act in the state at the earliest. The issue was raised during Zero Hour in the Odisha Assembly by Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Ramchandra Kadam and Congress MLA C.S. Rajan Ekka, who also requested the Speaker to issue a ruling on the matter.

Speaking in the House, Kadam said that although the PESA Act was passed several years ago, it has yet to be implemented in Odisha. He noted that tribal communities have traditional rights over water, forests and land, but the delay in implementing the law has prevented them from fully exercising these rights.

Kadam also pointed out that the BJP government had promised to enforce the PESA Act after coming to power in the state. However, he alleged that nearly 20 months have passed without any concrete action in this regard. He urged the Speaker to direct the government to take immediate steps to implement the law.

Echoing the concern, MLA C.S. Rajan Ekka criticized the continued delay, stating that the Prime Minister had also referred to implementing the PESA Act during his visit to Odisha. He added that the Chief Minister has mentioned the law in several speeches and that the President of India had also highlighted the issue in an address. Despite these statements, Ekka said, no tangible steps have been taken so far.

Ekka emphasized that Odisha has a large tribal population and that implementing the PESA Act would help protect their rights over natural resources. He alleged that in several areas tribal land is gradually being taken away, making the implementation of the law crucial.

He also called for effective enforcement of the Fifth Schedule provisions and proposed the formation of a House Committee to monitor mining activities in affected areas and examine issues such as exploitation, displacement and local grievances.

Congress legislators said that effective implementation of the PESA Act would help safeguard the rights of tribal communities and ensure protection of their land and natural resources.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda