In a move that threatens to dislocate the lives of millions of Orissa's tribal people, the state government has decided to allow transfer of land in fifth schedule areas for mining and industrial operations. En route, it has interpreted the Supreme Court's (sc) landmark Samata judgement of 1997 to suit itself.

The apex court had ruled in the Samata versus state of Andhra Pradesh (ap) case that tribal tracts and forestland in scheduled areas were not to be leased out to non-tribals for mining and industrial activity, as this would contravene the fifth schedule of the Constitution. According to the sc directive, such operations could only be permitted exceptionally