A Government land near the National Highway here measuring 32 decimals was illegally settled in the name of a well-to-do person by fraud.
The beneficiary Jaylaxmi Singh is wife of Prafulla Singh of lagangalkanti in Ghatgaon Block. The land was settled in her name by the concerned Tehsildar in 2009. The plot no- 1211 in Khata-147 in Tikiria Mouza was shown encroached by Singh and was transferred to her name claiming that she was a landless tribal and her annual income was below Rs 14,000. She even succeeded in claiming a good compensation from the National Highway when the NHAI acquired the land. But some local people filed a complaint against the forgery in 2015 and the matter was suppressed.
Finally after a recent inquiry by the Sub-Collector, Keonjhar, it was revealed that her family was in procession of 12.2 acres of land and her husband Prafulla Singh works as the branch manager of SBI, Kuntalpeda branch, Rayagada.
Meanwhile, the Sub Collector has ordered to cancel the patta and restore the land back to the Government. However, no action has been initiated against the officials involved in the illegal act.