The BJP government in Odisha has stepped up measures to put an end to the decades-old dispute over land rights in the Malkangiri district, an issue that often causes tension between the tribals and the Bengali settlers in the region including the recent clash in December.As large-scale alienation of tribal land by non-tribals, issuing permanent land titles and rehabilitation of tribals displaced decades back for major projects were among the long-pending matters concerning tribals, the state government’s measures intend to address these concerns.This comes nearly a month after clashes were reported between the district’s tribal Rakhelguda village and MV-26 village, where Bengali settlers live, over a headless body found in a river. The head was eventually tracked to a river bank some 40 km from where the body was found, but by then, hundreds of houses and properties had been torched and thousands fled from their house. The clashes led to prohibitory orders and an internet shutdown in the area.Among the steps include review of hundreds of pending cases under Regulation 2/56 that refers to the Odisha Scheduled Areas Transfer of Immovable Property (by Scheduled Tribes) Regulation, 1956. The regulation prevents transfer of tribal land rights to non-tribals.Must Read | In murder of Odisha’s tribal woman, role of long-standing community tensions with Bengali settlers“The allegation of encroachment of their land by the Bengali settlers by fraudulent means often led to the anger among the tribals against the settlers. The district collector has been asked to review the hundreds of pending cases every fortnight on priority basis and apprise of the progress to the government,” an official said.The district administration would appeal those who lost their land to non-tribals and it would be reviewed whether due procedures were followed during the land alienation process. The number of such cases will be close to around one thousand.Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, who visited the violence-hit region to review the causes, informed that expeditious arrangements will be made to provide permanent pattas under the Forest Right Act (FRA) and the Odisha Government Land Settlement (OGLS) Act, 1962.Story continues below this adPermanent pattas will be provided to the displaced families due to the Machhkund hydroelectric project. Ousted from their land in the late 1940s and 1950s due to construction of dam, the tribal families are yet to get land pattas that often causes anger among them. The Revenue and Disaster Management department, in coordination with the Water Resources department, will work out a long-term solution on this, said officials.“During meeting with the administration following the recent clash, the tribal communities raised the issues pertaining to encroachment, issuance of permanent pattas and proper rehabilitation of displaced. The steps announced by the government will definitely have big impact in the region by resolving their long-standing grievances,” Malkangiri district collector Somesh Kumar Upadhyay told The Indian Express.To provide mother-tongue-based teaching in the schools in the region, the state government also decided to fill up the vacant multilingual teacher posts in Koya, Didayi and Bonda languages. Efforts will be made to create more seats in higher secondary schools of Malkangiri district so that tribal and other students can continue their studies beyond Class X, said officials.While the anger against the Bengali settlers has been most prevalent among the Koya community, other communities like Didayi, Bonda and Gadaba also resent against the tribals.Story continues below this adAfter the clashes, the state government also announced financial assistance for damaged houses and shops, ex-gratia for families of the deceased woman, irrigation facilities to upland farms near reservoirs and livelihood opportunities for the trials in the region.Local tribal leader Bandhu Muduli appreciated the government’s measures but sought a probe to ascertain how the settlers have acquired huge land than what was allotted to them. Muduli said the land acquired by settlers using fraudulent manners should be returned to the tribals.