Who actually constructed the road leading to the 100 acres of encroached land at Ghangapatna village on the outskirts of the State capitalIJ
Neither the Forest and Environment Department nor the Rural Development Department or even the Revenue Departments has any information regarding the controversial road laid just under the nose of the State administration.
It is another matter that the Government failed to know when the mines mafia actually dug minerals from the reserve forest areas in Keonjhar district.
No citizen, in fact, subscribes to the idea that the Government has no information when the land was encroached, or the road was constructed in the village forestland. It is clear that the administration is not interested to reveal the names of the persons in possession of such lands including hills, forest and other category non-transferrable lands.
Even as land mafia, allegedly having blessings of a Minister and a Rajya Sabha member of the ruling BJD, have taken the lands into possession way back in 2008, the matter came to light after BJP leader Bijay Mophapatra highlighted the issue.
Forest and Environment Minister Bikram Arukh, Revenue Minister Bijayshree Routray, Rural Development minister Badri Narayan Patra and Panchayati Raj Minister Arun Sahoo have no answer to the question. Everyone wants to shift the responsibility which indicates involvement of a powerful lobby in the scam.
The Naveen Patnaik Government, which claims to be transparent, obviously fears to open up on the scam as it may lead to a major embarrassment for it and the ruling party as well.