All illegal land allotments must be withdrawn: Activists

The CAG report on land acquisition for industries from 2001 to 2012 has exposed the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government’s crime against innocent and helpless farmers, whose lands have been taken away for setting up of industries in the State.

This was alleged by lok Shakti Abhiyan President Prafulla Samantara and Wild life Society Secretary Biswajit Mohanty at a Press meet here on Wednesday.

The activists while appreciating the CAG for digging out the truth launched a scathing attack on the State Government for going beyond laws, Constitution of India and ethics in its policy of industrialisation at a huge cost to common man.

Samantara dubbed the Idco as an official broker of the Government for forcibly acquiring farmlands of 46,737 acres at throwaway prices which made several farmers unhappy.

Most surprisingly, the activist said, the Government has knowingly handed over lands to corporate houses when nothing was ready for setting up of their projects. The Government has allowed the project proponents to mobilise resources by allowing them no-objection certificates (NOCs) to borrow thousands of crores of rupees from banks on the mortgage of the lands allotted to them, which is a fraud on people and their livelihood resources, he added.

Samantara and Mohanty demanded cancellation of the illegally-allotted lands to all industrial projects with immediate effect and recovery of money with interest from them.

The activists urged the State Government to take back all excess lands given to companies and demanded that the Chief Minister render public apology for the crime done under his rule and clear his stand before the public.