A controversy erupted over the ownership of a prominent hotel in Baleswar located between FM Circle and Station Square. With the Hotel Kalinga having been sealed on Thursday by the Tehsildar, Sadar, the matter headed for a legal battle between the municipality and a private party.
According to reports, the hotel was given on lease to one Shantilata Das for 22 years by the Baleswar Municipality. The lease period expired on May 31, 2022. Das applied to the municipal authorities to extend it to another three years pleading that she had sustained losses for the last three years for Covid, but the civic body declined the request.
As Das moved the Orissa High Court over the issue, the court directed her to approach the appropriate authority, citing it to be the municipality Executive Officer (EO). The previous EO had refused to consider Das’s petition stating the municipal council had decided to either demolish or renovate the existing structure of the hotel and build a new one in its place. The EO had formed a committee to look into the matter and take a decision whether to demolish or renovate the existing structure.
However, a week ago, the municipality had served a notice to Das (the lease) to vacate the building. And, as soon as she vacated the structure on Wednesday, a private person, Sujit Dev , a resident of the town came and locked the entrance, claiming the property belonged to him, stating he has the ROR of the land and the municipality’s claim on the land was illegal and the lease it had executed was unauthorised. He was waiting for the vacation of the building, he said.
However, on Thursday, the Sadar Tehsildar, as a magistrate, broke open the lock and put another lock and sealed the hotel.
Reports further added that Sujit’s father, who belonged to the Zamindar family (Raja Baikunthanath Dev) had donated the contended piece of land in favour of the municipality. And mutation of the land was not made by the municipality subsequently.
Dev said he possessed the patta of the land and he had been paying the taxes too, though for the last few years, he had defaulted in paying them. And he was ready to clear all previous dues.
Notably, Sujit's wife was Vice-Chairperson of the municipality during the previous council. She had also unsuccessfully contested for Chairperson post in BJP ticket.