In a bid to ease the tardy process of land acquisition for industries, the State Government has set a target to acquire one lakh acre land under its land bank scheme within one year.
The Odisha Industrial Development Corporation (Idco) has been assigned the task for acquiring the land under the scheme. While Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi has set the agenda, Idco Managing Director Sanjay Singh is making all out efforts to achieve the ambitious feat.
After identifying land in different districts, the Idco is applying for lease with the concerned Tehsildars. land that will be acquired under the scheme has been placed under category ‘A’ and ‘B’.
land acquired under ‘A’ category will be utilised for industrial projects while ‘B’ category land will be kept reserved for future use. The scheme was implemented to attract investors for establishing industries in the State. The land bank scheme is functioning well in Gujarat and has been successful in roping in companies to invest in the State. Tata’s Nano project is a glaring example of the success of the scheme. The project was shifted to Gujarat from West Bengal where Tata faced challenges in land acquisition.
After the implementation of land bank scheme in Odisha, the Idco has applied with the Tehsildars for lease following identification of 87,048 acre Government land in at least 23 districts. Out of the total field area, around 16,609 acre land has been kept under category ‘A’ for sanction of lease in favour of Idco. Over 68,000 acre land has been placed under category B and is to be kept reserved at the district level for industrial purposes in future.
The State Government has directed the district Collectors to take steps on a priority basis by asking the Tehsildars to take quick decision on the lease applications filed by Idco officials for land bank. No application has been filed yet for land under category ‘A’ in Rayagada, Koraput, Angul, Bolangir, Bargarh, Kendrapada and Nayagarh. The Idco will soon urge the Revenue Department for identifying land for industrial purposes in these districts.
The State has in the past lost several investments due to delay in acquiring land for industrial purposes. The proposed `52,000 crore Posco project has been put on hold due to delay in land acquisition. The proposed project by Arcellor Mittal faced a similar challenge in Keonjhar, for which the steel major left halfway.
Apart from the Single Window System, the State Government has formed a high level committee headed by the Chief Secretary for the investors expressing interest to establish industries in the State. The senior officials stated that if adequate land will be acquired and kept reserved under land bank scheme, the Idco can provide land to the interested investors for setting up firms in Odisha.