Forest land near Jamshedpur at mercy of mafia elements

DSS demands eviction of encroachers

Mail News Service

Gamharia: Land under the Forest Department has become a favourite playground of mafia elements who nonchalantly continue to encroach on forest property and sell them while minting crores of rupees in the process. A case in point is the Forest Department land In Balrampur Mouza under Gamharia block where illegal sale and purchase of ill-begotten and uncountable acres of such land marked by plots have become sites of mushrooming settlements. The Durga Soren Sena (DSS) has been up in arms against such no-longer shady deals and time and again have not only pointed out these nefarious activities to the authorities concerned but have also urged that such clandestine activities be brought an end to but so far, the voices of protest have fallen on deaf ears as the land mafia coterie continues to make hay irrespective of sunshine or darkness.

Finally, with all their pleas and protests against illegal sale and purchase of forest land coming to naught, the DSS has demanded immediate and stern action from the Forest Department to register a case against the land mafias involved and ridding the land of such encroachments.

In a press conference organized at the DSS office, District President Sunny Singh said that efforts had been on to tarnish his image by the mafia elements for his crusade against illegal forest land grabbing and sale. Sunny said, “False allegations are being made against me by the mafia elements, their stooges and some who have purchased these illegally plotted forest land. In the past, the mafias had used women to make false allegations against me and had released several fake videos leveling baseless accusations against me. In fact, the mafias, their henchmen and some of the settlers on the forest land who have a criminal bent of mind, already have several pending cases against them.”

The DSS District President revealed that he had put in an appeal to the administration to provide him protective cover for his life and property could be at stake as the mafias were hell-bent on stopping him from his moves against them. He has also demanded a high-level enquiry into the matter of encroachment and sale of forest land.

DSS activist Sumitra Panda, during her interaction at the media conference said, “A woman by the name of Mamata Devi who is constructing a house on the forest land she had purchased, as per her own statement at Rs Seven lakh, said that there were many others who had settled down after paying similar or more amounts. She told all this to our District President when he visited Balrampur to ask Mamata Devi why she had falsely accused him.”

Sumitra Panda stated further that when the President and other DSS members were present at Mamata’s illegal construction site, the woman had called over her mobile phone a person named Petu Pramanik, Rajesh Gope and Chandan David, presumably the persons who were involved in the selling of the illegally acquired forest land. “I have given detailed, written information of the incident to the Saraikela police. We have demanded a high level enquiry into the matter,” Sumitra Panda stated. Woman activist Savita Rai, District General Secretary Robin Hansda, District Vice President Raja Tudu, District Secretary Mandeep Mahali, senior members Vicky Pandey, Jansingh Tamsoy and other DSS officials and members were present during the press meet.