Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh on Thursday ordered a high-level departmental inquiry into the alleged encroachment of land and construction of road on forest land in the Chandaka Reserve Forest area on the outskirts of the capital city here.
The Chandaka Wildlife Division DFO has been asked to probe the case and submit a report within a week. The DFO would also give report about any other instances of forest land encroachment in the reserve forest.
The Minister's direction came in the wake of media reports and demand from senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohaptra for CBI inquiry into the land and house allotment scam, including illegal possession of 100 acres of land and construction of road inside the Chandka reserve forest in clear violation of rules by some influential people, including a BJD MP.
As per the reports, the encroachers have illegally constructed high boundary walls around a large patch of land and also constructed a road of around three km without obtaining mandatory forest clearance.
However, Arukh maintained that a preliminary inquiry had revealed that the land and road in question do not come within forest area. However, the Minister assured that strong legal action against the violators would be taken if the allegation was proved right.
"No one irrespective of persons affiliated to political parties or officials and influential persons would be spared for violation of forest laws," the Minister asserted.
Earlier, while Rural Development Minister Badri Narayan Patra had denied that a road was constructed by his department in the Chandaka forest, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Bijayashree Routray had also asked for a high-level departmental inquiry into the allegation of land grab.
Meanwhile, it is alleged that the wide road connecting the encroached forest land area was constructed under a MNREGS project, pinpointing involvement of former Panchayati Raj Minister and present BJD MP Kalpataru Das.