Mumbai, July 9 (PTI) More than 1,600 cases of the illegal transfer of tribal lands to non-tribal people have been identified for investigation in Maharashtra and a report will be submitted, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule told the legislative assembly on Wednesday.

He stated that agricultural land can only be transferred to tribals, while non-agricultural transfers for commercial, industrial or residential purposes are subject to strict scrutiny under 34 conditions and Supreme Court guidelines.

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A total of 1,628 cases from various parts of the state, including 732 from the Konkan region, have been identified for investigation by divisional commissioners, he added.

"The findings will be presented in the Assembly," he said while replying to a call attention notice raised by MLA Rajendra Gavit.

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A total of 617 cases of illegal transfer of tribal lands were reported between 2021 and 2023, out of which 404 parcels of land have been restored to their rightful owners, while 213 cases are pending with district authorities. The updated list will be shared with MLAs soon, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)