The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has lodged a complaint with the Economics Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch against land brokers for allegedly grabbing approximately 68 acres of government land in Bhubaneswar.
The BDA sought action against Manas Nayak, Banshidhar Naik and Charan Nayak as well as 10 others under relevant provisions of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for illegal possession of government land in Shampur Mouza on the outskirts of the city.
As per the FIR lodged by the BDA’s Additional Land Officer Debraj Sethi, Manas Nayak had executed eight agreements consisting Plot No.224/97 of holding No.164 with different third parties and delivered the possession illegally over the Plot No. 227 of Khata No. 245 of Shampur Mouza which has been transferred to the BDA by the General Administration and Personnel Grievances (GA & PG Department.
Similarly, Banshidhar Naik executed an agreement with a person belonging to Nayagarh district relating the Plot No. 224/68 of Shampur Mouza. Simultaneously, Charan Nayak also executed a deed relating to the Plot No. 224/22 of Khata No. 164 of Shampur village. Both of them delivered the possession illegally over the Plot No. 277 of Khata No. 245 of Shampur Mouza which has been transferred to the BDA by the GA& PG Department.
BDA accused the three persons of hatching a conspiracy with others to grab the government land and getting financial benefit out of it.
BDA Secretary and Estate Member Kabindra Kumar Sahoo said, “The BDA had availed 68.445-acre land from the GA Department in Shampur Mouza for an affordable housing project. As there was no road connectivity to the Mouza, we could not be able to take over the project. Therefore, the BDA had planned for land acquisition for road connecting to the Mouza.”
Meanwhile, the land record of Shampur Mouza is yet to be finalised due to various cases pending in courts. As the ROR was not published, we failed to acquire land for road to the Mouza. Taking advantage of the situation, some brokers made 10 sale deeds and sold the government land by making affidavits from Notary to a few economically backward class people from Ganjam and Nayagarh districts, Sahoo added.
