Forest Land Issue: Tribal Communities Lend Their Weight Behind KISS, Mull Decisive Action

Bhubaneswar: In a show of solidarity, 500 representatives — including parents of 40,000 students and tribal leaders — gathered at Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) on Saturday to discuss the way forward after the Union government’s directive to keep in abeyance the process of handing over 10 acres of forest land to the institute for underprivileged tribal students.

With the school set to reopen after the summer break, anxiety is rising among students and parents as the institute faces continued defamation, KISS said in a press release.

Deeply troubled by the unjust attacks against KISS, all stakeholders decided during the meeting that if the situation does not improve within 15 days, decisive action will be taken.

It’s a matter of honour for the entire tribal community, they felt, and measures to protect the institution have to be taken if necessary.

Last week, the Union Tribal Affairs ministry, headed by Odisha MP Jual Oram, directed Khurda Collector Chanchal Rana to hold the transfer of the forest land to KISS till the state government gives a clarification on the matter.

The ministry pointed out that it has received complaints about proper compliance with Forest Rights Act (FRA) while processing the proposal.