Evicted sans rehabilitation, 20 families find refuge in burial ground

EVICTED from the land which they once called their home by virtue of a court order, about 20 dalit families of Alipingal village have been moved to a burial ground since the last one month.

- Amarnath Parida @Jagatsinghpur

These families had been residing on a piece of land near Alipingal high school since the last 50 years as it was initially classified as Gochar land. However, a local resident claimed ownership of the land and eventually filed a writ petition in the Orissa High Court seeking their eviction. Following the court's order, a civil court ordered eviction and on January 8 these families were removed from the land.

Without any rehabilitation plan, they were relocated to a nearby burial ground by the local administration and left to fend for themselves.