Cuttack: An individual, in cahoots with some dishonest tehsildar and district sub-registrar office employees, has illegally acquired a government plot worth crores in the heart of the city here.
District Collector Aravind Agrawal has recently written to the secretary of the Revenue Department on the issue and recommended a probe by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch (CB), sources said.
It is learnt that Bijay Kumar Kanungo, a resident of the city, had lodged a complaint about the illegal acquisition of government land thorough the online grievances portal of the Chief Minister November 3, last year. Taking the issue seriously, the Chief Minister’s office had asked the district administration to launch a probe into the matter.
Cuttack Sadar sub-collector and a senior official of the Revenue Department had investigated into the illegal land acquisition and submit a report to the district collector December 26, last year.
According to the report, an individual had claimed ownership over a 2.221 acre plot identified through land ceiling at Siddheswar Sahi under Lalbagh police limits in early 1980s. In a notification issued January 21, 1983, the state government had rejected the claim and asked the local administration to take control over the land at the earliest.
In accordance with the order, the district administration had directed Cuttack Sadar tehsildar to take control over the land February 9, 1983. However, the tehsil administration had taken control over 1.770 acre from the plot. But, the officials did not record the land in the name of state government.
Subsequently, the 1.770 acre land was recorded in the name of the said individual during 1987 land settlement. The Cuttack Sadar tehsil had also allowed a mutation of the land, claimed the report.
The probe report has claimed the complicity of some employees of Cuttack Sadar tehsil and district sub-registrar office in the land fraud.
When contacted, Agrawal admitted that a private individual has acquired a government plot illegally. He claimed that the issue has been raised with the secretary of the Revenue Department.