No land RoR: K'pada cop modernisation project hit

It seems the law enforcing department has been facing a tough time to get land patta (record of rights) from the district administration at several tehsils of Kendrapada district for construction of police stations, out posts and staff quarters.Though crores of rupees were released under various police modernization projects, but due to lack ownership over land by the police department, the projects were not being implemented.

Kendrapada SP Satish Kumar Gajbhiye stated that due to negligence and lack of co-operation by the tehsildars in different tehsils of the district, the police modernization projects in some of the places are yet to be carried out, whereas in some other places the project works had to be stopped midway.According to official sources, though the police station and police quarters building works of Kendrapada Sadar police station have been completed by over 80 per cent, but some locals have complained that the buildings were constructed in gochar land without the land having been converted into patita kisam by the district administration. As a result, the locals are protesting the works, dubbing them as illegal.

It may be noted here that the then SP of Kendrapada applied to the district administration to get 3.46 acres of land for constructing Sadar police station building, its quarters and a boundary wall near the existing Sadar police station, now functioning in a rented house for more than five years. later, the district site selection committee approved the place and had given verbal order to start the police station building works. The works started after police department took the land in advanced possession. But the district administration has not been able to get permission from the RDC for converting the gochar land into patita kisam.

Similarly, in Derabish tehsil, the police department had given a proposal to the local tehsil more than 18 years back for providing a land of 2.43 acres for constructing the Derabish police station. In 1997, the district site selection committee also approved the proposal. After the notification, nobody filed objection before the local tehsil within the stipulated period of 45 days.

later, the local tehsildar provided 0.49 decimal at Balia village and 0.49 decimal at Narua village for the police outpost construction .Though later the police station building, quarters and boundary work started, but till date the local tehsildar has not provided the record of rights (RoR).Similar is the fate of Kudanagari police outpost and Tantiapala marine police station. The local tehsildars have failed to provide land patta in the two cases. Crores of rupees were lying unspent under police modernization schemes in the district, but due to non-cooperation and step motherly attitude of the district administration in providing RoR, the works were getting delayed, rued SP Gajbhiye.

While town police out post-1 at Tinimuhani, Town police out post-2 at Old bus stand, Mahakalapada police station and Kendrapada SDPO office have been functioning in dilapidated building of other departments, the district administration has not been approving the sites for the construction of these police stations. As a result, the police department has failed to give proposal to the IG of police for releasing funds, stated Gajbhiye.Even proposals have been sent for setting up of police hospital in the district, but now uncertainty looms large over its fate, said official sources.When contacted, district Collector Debaraj Senapati informed that steps were on to provide RoR on land for all police projects.