land grabbling by powerful people has been going on ever since Bhubaneswar was born as the State capital city. During 1962 when the capital and the Nandankanan biological park were founded, this writer was working for the construction of the park project.
The writer was serving then in the Athagarh forest division and was posted in Dalijora Forest Range. He was given special duty to work for Nandankanan and was staying under a tent in the bank of Kanjia lake, an aquatic biological hub of the region.
Chandka forest was then a dense northern tropical evergreen Sal forest. Sal and bamboo were the predominant species. This was natural home of Royal tigers, elephants and other big and small carnivores and herbivores. The entire Chandaka, Damapada and Khurda forests were then a complete homogeneous biosphere reserve which extended up to Nayagarh, Boudh and Athamallik forests. This was a complete peninsular eco- system including the Daspala forests. There was a Patia forest section. The Patia forest beat under Chandaka forest range was headquartered at Patia village. All these forests were under the Khurda forest division. The headquarters of the Division Forest Officer was at Khurda. Khurda forest division was a very big division which was extended up to Puri. When the writer was coming on study tour with the students of forest schools, he frequently visited the Chandaka forests which were an ideal location to teach the students on management of forests of peninsular origin. That position no longer exists at present.
Those forest lands at Chandaka and Patia are now grabbed by private bodies. The present Bhubaneswar capital city comprises the former Patia Zamidari, former Khurda Zamidari and Devatwar lands of lingaraj Temple. The Zamindaris of British regime are known as estates. Subsequently, the former Zamidari of Banki was added to this city due to fast expansion. All these Zamidaris have remained un-surveyed areas. The boundaries of the estates have not been demarcated either by the British or by the State Government after the independence.
Similarly the position of State boundaries of Odisha with Andhra Pradesh,Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh were also not properly demarcated. Especially where there are forest lands between two bordering States, an inter-state boundary of 100feet wide was maintained with posting of boundary pillars. But the boundaries are not followed today.
Another setback of our State administration is that other than our State reserve forests, all other forest lands belong to the Revenue department. When the land belongs to Revenue department, the Forest department is entrusted with the task of looking after the forest rearing and growth. Further this arrangement affects detailed survey of the forest areas. The khata khatian or the record of rights is maintained in the Tehsil level. Village wise revenue land map slowing details of plots of private holdings, village commons, Gochar temple, Anabadi roads and water resources etc are shown by the Revenue department.
The maps are prepared by the Survey and Settlement department and are revised from time to time. But detail surveys were not done in respect of the former Gadjat and Zamindari areas. Presently, the Consolidation department is merged in the Revenue department.
As no details of survey settlement operations are done in respect of Bhubaneswar city, land grab has been a common phenomenon. Bhubaneswar city is growing fast. So the influential people, politicians, and bureaucrats are taking the upper hand.
land management is quite different in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. When Cuttack is under old pattern of Mogalbandi land administration, Bhubaneswar still runs under old Gadjat system. But mode of land scam in both cases is the same.
No land scam is possible without involvement of subordinate staff of the bureaucracy. They oblige the top bureaucrats and politicians.
The tampering of Khata – Khatian, the record of rights and maps are the common practices in the Revenue department.
The real ownership of a particular land can be changed easily and fake Patta or record of rights can be issued to a stranger. If you write to the authorities of the Revenue administration, nobody listens to your grievances.
Ghangapatna land scam is therefore a tip of an iceberg. There are hundreds of such occurrences every year going unnoticed. Because media and opposition political parties are creating hue and cry, the land scam on the outskirts of the capital city is drawing so much attention today. The controversial road construction work was carried out on a patch of land which was originally proposed for a park in the Chandaka forest division. This is clear violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and the Wildlife Protection of Act, 1972. The forest authorities should be active and do everything so that the land grabbers are brought to justice. The Government officials who are hand in glove should be subjected to stern action.
Recently the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 was amended and the Union Government was empowered to take steps, where violation of this act is made. As it is learnt that the additional chief conservator of forests (central) posted to this State by the Centre has asked the State Forest department for a report on the land grab.
The forest, police and revenue officers are equally empowered to book cases in cases of violation of forests lows. The intelligence wing has to keep track on criminal activities and on criminals. It is surprising how such land grab was possible when all the departments are working in tandem.
It is time, the Revenue department was divided in to two separate wings; one wing should do the field survey and detection of land fraud and the other should look after the land records and collect revenue.
The twin city of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar should be brought under survey-settlement operations soon.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and a freelance writer. Tel no 9937460649)