Tribals demand rights before Tata lease renewal in Jamshedpur

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, May 29: Ahead of the proposed renewal of Tata lease holdings in Jamshedpur, the Jharkhand Mulvasi Adhikar Manch has demanded that the rights of displaced tribal and indigenous raiyats be safeguarded before any further administrative process is undertaken.

Led by the organisation’s chief convenor and Jharkhand movement activist Harmohan Mahato, members of the forum submitted a memorandum to the East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner on Friday, seeking a comprehensive survey and rehabilitation of families displaced during the establishment of Tata Company across 18 mouzas in the city.

The memorandum stated that several khatiyan-holding tribal and indigenous families were uprooted during the industrial expansion in Jamshedpur and are yet to receive proper recognition, rehabilitation, compensation, employment opportunities, or restoration of land rights.

The forum urged the administration to issue displacement certificates to affected families and ensure their claims are addressed before any lease renewal is approved.

Mahato also demanded the cancellation of the 1996 survey khatiyan and restoration of legal recognition to the original land records of 1908 and 1937.

He maintained that renewing the lease without resolving the long-pending concerns of the original raiyats would be unjust and unacceptable.

The memorandum further referred to Revenue, Registration and Land Reforms Department memo no. 3334(07)/Ra dated December 11, 2025, along with earlier applications submitted by the organisation.

The forum claimed that crucial land and khatiyan-related documents had previously been handed over to the then Deputy Commissioner and sought clarity on whether those proposals were forwarded to the government.

It demanded that the status of those submissions be made public to ensure transparency for the affected families.

Mahato said the organisation is reiterating its earlier demands before the administration and warned that the movement would continue until displaced families receive justice.