On behalf of the Government of India, Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru personally wrote to state governments to provide land for rehabilitation of Tibetan refugees in 1960s. As the State Government of Orissa graciously offered about 2250 acres of land for resettlement of 2479 Tibetan refugees in the then district of Ganjam and Phuntsokling Tibetan settlement, Orissa was thus established in the year 1963. The land lease period of the settlement was to be extended every 10 to 20 year. In between 1995-2008 there was a lapse of renewal of land lease. Thereafter, government allowed land lease renewal from 2008-2018 vide Revenue and D.M. Department letter No. 32500/R&DM dated 31.07.2008, but due to constant pressure from certain misled people by vested interested group, local authorities could not release individual farmer’s Land Lease Patta (Govt. land lease document).
The same group then started misguiding, organising and leading mob of neighbouring tribals of the area several times in 2012 by accusing Tibetans of illegally encroaching land and prevented Tibetan farmers from cultivation of their field and hoisted red flag in the field to claim the land. This eventually led to non-cultivation of the field for a whole season/year.
In the meantime, the Department of Home (CTA), Tibetan Settlement Office supported by Local Tibetan Assembly and MTCS consistently approached the local, district and state administration to amicably resolve this unwarranted land issue as per law of the land. The Odisha authorities were requested to help ease the ground situation in the area by providing the much-needed Land Lease Patta to the individual Tibetan farmers.
![viewer (1)](https://tibet.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/viewer-1.png)
ADM Gajapati Distt distributing land patta to Camp No. 2 farmer in the presence of
Sub-Collector Gajapati Distt.
Beginning April 30, 2013, Sub-Collector and Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Gajapati, Paralakhemundi issued Temporary (2008-2018) Land Lease Patta to all the individual farmers of the 5 camps in the presence of Tahasildars, Revenue Inspectors and Amins of both the Mohana and R. Udayagiri blocks of Distt. Gajapati and the general public of the settlement.
As on May 7, 2013, all the farmers of the settlement had received their Temporary Land lease Patta. But the issuance of the same Patta pertaining to the Community and Reserve lands of the settlement are currently being discussed with the local administration.
Issued by Department of Home
9 May 2013