Crackdown on land sharks soon

BHUBANESWAR: More than 1,000 acres of Government land on the outskirts of the City is either under unauthorised occupation or recorded in favour of individuals in a fraudulent manner. The Government on Wednesday decided to recover the land and hand over it to the General Administration Department.The special cell created under the Revenue Department has so far identified more than 3,500 acres of Government land under unlawful occupation in Khurda, Puri and Jajpur districts. Collectors of the three districts have been directed to recover the land from the unauthorised occupants and, if necessary, dispose of the same, Revenue Minister SN Patro told mediapersons after a high-level meeting here.The special cell, headed by Dhiren Das, a retired bureaucrat, has identified 761 acres in Gothapatna, 236 acres in Malipada and 80 acres in Sampur areas under unlawful occupation.Admitting that a major chunk of the Government land is grabbed by realtors, the Minister said in some cases Government lands were recorded in favour of the builders, businessmen and other influential people in fraudulent manner."This is not possible without the involvement of Revenue Department officials," he said and added that all the erring officials will be taken to task. Sridhar Mishra, settlement officer in office of the Member, Board of Revenue, was suspended for his alleged involvement in the transfer of Government land in fraudulent manner.The Minister said the special cell has also identified 1,800 acres of Government land at Sukinda and 605 acres on Puri Marine Drive which are grabbed by land sharks.The cell members will visit all the 316 tehsils and verify land records to know the actual position of the Government land in each tehsil. Accordingly, action will be initiated by the district collectors concerned.The Government is also planning to develop group housing schemes through Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Orissa State Housing Board (OSHB) on the land to be recovered from illegal occupants on the outskirts of the City.A meeting of the district collectors and tehsildars will be convened within a week to discuss the matter and finalise the plan of action, the Minister said.