The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) indicted the State Government in the general administration (GA) department for not formulating regulations and manuals for allotment of land in the last 60 years which resulted in a large number of irregularities and huge loss to the State exchequer.
Although the GA department was entrusted with the management of the land in the capital city since 1952, yet no rules, regulations and manuals for allotment of land had been framed by the department, it said, pointing out that the GA had no comprehensive data on total land available, allotted and encroached upon.
The CAG’s report on General and Social Sector for the year ending March 31, 2012, was laid in the Assembly on Saturday, the last day of the Budget Session.
The CAG observed that despite continuous rise of land price in Bhubaneswar, non revision of premium and non consideration of the prevailing market value of the land of the respective areas resulted in loss of Rs 251.92 crore to the Government between 1998 and 2009. It said premium payable on allotment of land was last revised in 1998. In 2009, bench mark rates with reference to market rates were decided resulting in extension of undue benefit to the allottees during 1998-2009.
It also pointed out that despite stipulation in the Acts and rules to put the public land for other than public purposes into auction, the GA, which was empowered to control, administer, manage and protect Government land with the geographical limits of the capital city of Bhubaneswar, did not apply auction method in case of allotment of 154.473 acres of land.
The report also observed that as many as 6.051 acres encroached land valuing Rs 18.89 crore was regularized in 11 cases resulting in a loss of Rs 14.5 crore to the Government due to allotment at less than market rate . In addition, although 11.87 acres land valued at Rs 84.21 crore was under occupation of encroachers as of March 2012, no effective steps for eviction had been taken by the GA.
“Monitoring and inspection mechanism in the GA was non-existent due to acute shortage of personnel,” it said. The report said the GA allotted 464.479 acre land in 337 cases during 2000-2012 to individuals, Government offices, Government undertakings as well as private bodies for establishment of hostels, hospitals, educational institutions and Non Government Organisation (NGOs). Of this, 183.449 acres were allotted to other than Government institutions and organisations.