Ranchi, Oct. 12: Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes Commission chairman Dilip Singh Bhuria today ruled out any need to undertake a fresh review and demarcation of the Scheduled Areas in Jharkhand.

“If, at all, any review is required, it should consider expanding the extent of Scheduled Areas in the state. It has to be decided by the Centre,” Bhuria said in response to the demand of a review made by certain leaders of the influential Kudmi-Mahto community, including ministers Lalchand Mahto and Sudesh Mahto.

Scheduled Areas are tribal-dominated pockets, covered under Schedule V of the Constitution and administered under the Governor’s direct supervision. The “autonomous” gram sabhas in such areas enjoy special powers so that the rights and identity of tribes in these areas are protected. Nearly half of the state’s area — 12 districts and parts of three more — constitute the Scheduled Areas in Jharkhand.

The Governor is supposed to submit periodic reports to the President on the administration of such areas. But the successive Governors of Jharkhand (and unified Bihar) have not doen so for several years. Bhuria said Governor Ved Marwah has promised to submit the first such report in a long time.

Those who favour a review argue that Scheduled Areas were demarcated in the Seventies and since then, the state’s demography has undergone a sea change and deserves a fresh look. They contend that many pockets with little or no tribal population now fall within the Scheduled Areas.

Census estimates suggest that 28 per cent of the state’s population is tribal. In the absence of any caste-based census, Kudmi-Mahtos claim that their population is around 24 per cent. Senior leaders of the community, along with some other caste groups, have been demanding its inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list. But for expanding the list, a constitutional amendment, preceded by a recommendation by the state government, is required.

Bhuria said the more important task was to stop rampant violation of tribal rights, mainly through wrong acquisition of their lands. “Cases of grabbing tribal land are being quashed on the ground that there aren’t enough witnesses. So land records should be made on the basis of deciding such cases in favour of tribals,” he added.

Bhuria said members of the minority community have been marrying tribal girls to stake claim to tribal land by settling them in their wives’ name. “The government must have a legislation to check such practices,” he said. He criticised former chief minister Babulal Marandi’s suggestion to amend the Chhotanagpur and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Acts so that tribals could sell their land to non-tribals.

“Any such change would further increase the alienation of tribals from their land,” he warned.

said, adding that health, electricity, road and education infrastructure available to the tribals and the regions inhabited by them should be urgently improved.