Mafias grabbing tribal land under govt protection: Roat

Jaipur: Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) MP Rajkumar Roat Saturday accused the state govt of allowing land mafias to grab tribal land under the guise of solar park development in Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) areas. Addressing a press conference at the Pink City Press Club in Jaipur, Roat alleged large-scale corruption, administrative negligence, and a systematic attempt to suppress irregularities.While acknowledging the importance of renewable energy projects, Roat questioned the manner in which land was acquired in tribal regions. "We are not against solar parks or renewable energy. But tribal land cannot be forcibly acquired in the name of development. Land mafias are grabbing tribal lands under govt protection. The administration is either complicit or deliberately silent," he alleged.
Targeting the state tribal affairs minister Babulal Kharadi, Roat claimed that instead of focusing on tribal welfare, the minister was "busy acquiring land". He alleged that 52 bighas of land belonging to a tribal family was taken over and that corruption was rampant within the department. "In 2024–25, Rs 1,500 crore of the department's budget lapsed, halting tribal development," he said. He alleged that materials worth Rs 50 crore were supplied without tender and that irregularities worth Rs 40 crore were found in food procurement for hostels and residential schools in districts, including Udaipur, Banswara, and Pratapgarh.Roat claimed that tribal hostels turned into centres of political and religious activities. "Instead of focusing on students, hostel superintendents are acting as BJP campaigners and organising large religious gatherings. The department completely neglected students' welfare," he said. He alleged that procurement was carried out by bypassing Rajasthan Transparency in Public Procurement norms and claimed that "in some cases, only 50% of the material shown on paper actually reached the ground". He also cited a recent student death in a Sirohi hostel and demanded a high-level probe.Referring to an alleged land grab case in Udaipur, Roat said a tribal widow, Kukibai, was deprived of land worth crores through forged documents and intimidation. "A deal worth Rs 2.09 crore was re-registered for just Rs 12.51 lakh through fraudulent means. The accused are threatening the family by claiming to be relatives of the Chief Minister," he alleged. He further claimed that nearly Rs 40 lakh was extorted from the family and that complaints to the Chief Minister and Director General of Police yielded no action."If justice is not delivered, I will stage a dharna outside the Chief Minister's Office in Jaipur and then go to Delhi with the victim family," Roat warned.