Bhubaneswar: On the directions of Chief Minister, 5-T and Nabin Odisha Chairman Kartik Pandian’s visits to various districts, he received letters from the people for a permanent solution to the Sikkim sattva problem.
All these petitions were examined and sent to the Revenue Task Force under the chairmanship of Satyabrata Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue Department for a permanent solution to the Problem of Sikkim Ownership.
The Revenue Task Force, in consultation with the Revenue Commissioners, District Collectors of various districts and senior officials of the Revenue Department and various experts, advised the government to amend the Odisha Land Reforms Act.
It is to be noted that in 81,524 accounts in the state, about 1,23,111 Decimal of land has been recorded as Sikkim.
Those occupying the land recorded as Sikkim are called sub-rayats or subordinate- rayats. According to the Odisha Land Reforms Act, 1960, the last date for applying for declaration of royalty on Sikkim land was till 1977. Not all Sikkim farmers could apply during this time period.
Therefore, the necessary amendments to the Odisha Land Reforms Act, 1960 have been passed by the Legislative Assembly and notified by the Department of Law to give ryot rights over that land to sub-rayats or subordinate-rayats or their heirs occupying the land recorded as Sikkim. So that the concerned farmers can apply to the revenue authorities within two years for the right to be given the rayat rights on the land that Sikkim used as cultivation and residence.
The tahsildar can also automatically initiate work to give royalty rights over that land to sub- rayats or subordinate-rayats or their heirs occupying the land recorded as Sikkim. The government may extend the deadline as per the requirement.
The revenue officer will fix the compensation at the rate of Rs 14,200 per standard acre when issuing the order. The compensation money shall be paid by the sub- rayat or subordinate- rayats or their heirs to the original ryots or heirs of this Sikkim land. The amount of this compensation amount may be changed by the government from time to time.
Thereafter, sub- rayat ts or subordinate- rayats or their successors on this Sikkim land will be declared as rayats and they will have hereditary and transferable rights over this land.The amendment will benefit about 2,50,000 ryots and their successors in 26 districts of Odisha.
Detailed rules in this regard have been sent to all district collectors and revenue officers today and the department has directed them to take prompt action.
