Opposition lambasted the Ruling Government relating to White Paper on illegal transaction of govt lands

Opposition lambasted the Ruling Government relating to White Paper on illegal transaction of govt lands 04/04/2012

SIDDHARTHA SHANKAR MISHRA,BUREAU CHIEF,THESE DAYS,ODISHA

ODISHA NEWS/BHUBANESWAR



The Opposition on Tuesday came down heavily on the Odisha government for abetting land scams and illegal land transfer and acting as an unscrupulous middleman in acquisition and transfer of land to industrialists at the cost of poor and tribals.


However, revenue and disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patro refuted the allegation and made a counterpoint that land scams and illegal encroachment of government lands were the handiwork of the previous Congress regime.


The Congress demanded a white paper on illegal transaction of government lands.


Stating that the incumbent government has initiated the process to retrieve government land under illegal possession of vested interests, the minister asserted that exemplary action was being taken against officials and others involved in the land scam.


Patro announced that it was decided to make a strong law based on the model of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh by bringing certain amendments in the provisions of the existing OPLE Act to ensure that the State is free of acts of land encroachment and illegal transfer of government land.


A Cabinet committee has been set up to examine the draft legislation and a comprehensive Bill in the House would be brought on the recommendation of the panel, Patro said.


About 2.43 lakh acres of revenue land in the state was encroached upon and the state government was able to retrieve 91,734 acres.

The government has filed 326,447 cases under the OPLE Act to retrieve the encroached lands and so far 181,447 cases have been disposed, Patro said.

Besides, he said that the state government has ordered a CBI and Crime Branch probe into some land scams while exemplary action has been taken against officials involved in the dubious deals.
On the Opposition’s allegation that the state government is acting as agent of the industries to acquire land by force and at the cost of lives of the poor and tribals, he said that land acquisition was being made for the socioeconomic development of the State and this was a continuous process.

The state government has nothing to do with the land acquisition and it was being made by the state public sector undertaking IDCO, he clarified.

The minister said that steps would be taken on the issue if there is an examination and recommendation by the Public Accounts Committee of the Assembly.

Participating in the marathon four-hour debate, the Congress members alleged that the state government had the dubious distinction of being a land grabber and had been acquiring private land by eviction of poor tribals at gunpoint leading to killing of 21 tribals.