Alleging that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is abettor of fraudulent land grab in the State, particularly in the Chandaka, Khodha and Jatani tehsils, senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra dared him to reveal the names of at least 76 people involved in the encroachment.
He also demanded an explanation from the head of the Government as to why the CBI should not be handed over the matter for investigation. Addressing a Press conference at the party headquarters here, Mohapatra said that the Panchayati Raj Department was fully involved in the land scam.
“The department while approving of an illegal road on the minor forest and hilly land had provided grant to the tune of Rs5 lakh for its construction to a length of 1.5 km connecting with three plots of land acquired by some ruling BJD members,” he said.
As per the report of the Khordha Collector, three plots were allotted illegally to one Gokarneswar Trust and later the same plot was transferred to one Sabodaya Real Estate, Mohapatra said.The Chief Minister’s blue eyed leaders around him, managing the election affairs, were involved in the illegal possession of three plots on the forested and hilly land in Ghangapatna village, he said.
“The State Government had only suspended a few officials and was yet to register FIR against influential people, including ruling party leaders, who have acquired land fraudulently,” said Mohapatra.To a question that State BJP president KV Singh Deo’s daughter also acquired one plot of land in the Ghangapatna area illegally, Mohapatra said that Singh Deo had already clarified his position. If found accused of fraudulent land grab, he should be taken to task as per law. However, let the matter be probed by the CBI, he demanded.
Not satisfied with the on-going Crime Branch (CB) probe into the land scam, Mohapatra said, “The CB probe is a drama and it must be stopped to make way for the CBI considering the experience in the chit fund scam.”
Making a serious allegation on the Government, Mohapatra alleged that the Revenue and Disaster Management department had abruptly de-notified the land settlement process on December 29, 2010 in 72 villages spread over Khurdha, Jatni and Chandaka police station limits which was started since 1995 only to facilitate land grab.
Coming down heavily on the attitude of the State Government particularly the Chief Minister on the issue of curbing the illegal land allotment and encroachment, the BJP leader said that though there is a High Court order on 2002 on an illegal land allotment case for formulating a stringent anti-land grab law, no tangible action was taken so far.
Mohapatra said that on June 18, 2012, a Cabinet sub-committee was constituted to give a report within 15 days on the issue of the stringent law on land grab but even after getting a report of the panel and its recommendations, the Government had been just sitting over them for the last two years.He also accused that the report of the panel was not placed in a further Cabinet meeting only to safeguard the culprits and allow them to grab the land in the capital city.
Mohapatra alleged that the Chief Minister was trying to befool the gullible people of the State telling that the Government would bring a policy to stop illegal land grabbing. He also pointed finger at one of the influential non-Odia officers in the Chief Minister’s office for his role in the entire dilatory tactics.