GHANGAPATNA LAND SCAM: Lokayukta asks CB to submit probe report

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Bhubaneswar: The Lokayukta has asked the state Crime Branch to submit detailed probe report on the Ghangapatna land scam by October 21. The Lokayukta, while hearing a complaint petition (LY 289/19), issued a notice to Additional Director General of CB in this regard September 16.
The petition was filed by Right to Information (RTI) activist Pradeep Pradhan who alleged that the high profile land scam which came to fore in 2014 has been suppressed by CB.
According to sources, in August 2014, locals and media houses exposed the scandal in which some political bigwigs of the time illegally encroached upon several acres of land originally leased in favour of tribal people at Ghangapatna village on Capital outskirts.
Subsequently, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had directed the CB to probe the land fraud involving about 100 acre of land following the report presented by the Khurda district Collector and local tehsildar in 2014.
The activist alleged that the CB arrested the poor tribal lease holders instead of taking action against the political heavyweights. The Revenue department also claimed that 76 acres of illegally acquired land had been returned back to the government October 15, 2014.
He accused the investigative agency of abruptly closing the probe and the state government of taking the land without any
notification.
After failing to get the facts related to the fraud and the steps taken by police in this regard, the activist moved Lokayukta seeking its intervention in the matter.