Keonjhar: Rampant sale and purchase of land under Sadar tehsil in Keonjhar district in alleged violation of master plan and prescribed norms of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has sparked serious concern, a report said Saturday.
Landowners are allegedly plotting their land and selling the plots to interested buyers. The matter came to the fore after the special planning officer issued several letters allowing plotting of land for sale just a few days before his retirement (February 16, 2023). People have been lodging complaints in this regard before the concerned authorities but their pleas are yet to be addressed.
It is alleged that illegal sale of land is rampant at Alanapada, Ranki, Banpar, Gumura, Brahmanigaon, Nuagaon, Maligaon and Naranpur mouzas under Sadar tehsil.
The rules mandate that the land should be utilised for the purpose only for which it has been purchased. However, it is often seen that land purchased for construction of public utility such as parks, and resorts are later divided into plots and sold off to interested buyers for construction of private houses on the land in violation of established norms.
According to RERA norms, no land can be sold or purchased by dividing it into plots without the prior permission of district’s Town Planning Authority (TPA).
However, land is being sold and purchased after plotting sans the permission of the concerned authority in Keonjhar town and adjoining areas in complete violation of master plan and RERA norms.
It is seen that the Town Planning Authority often gives permission for land sale on various pretexts such as daughter’s marriage, hospitalisation and medical treatment or for higher education and informs the sub-registrar office accordingly. Observers claimed that the reasons for land sales are often false and fictitious. However, no verification is undertaken to check these claims for sale and purchase of land.
Moreover, Sadar tehsil is also kept in the dark on land sale as no information is given to it ahead of land sales. The District Collector is the chairman of the TPA but he is kept in dark as the permission copy for land sale is not given to him. The TPA has to verify drainage, environmental and other facilities available on the plots on the basis of RERA norms before giving permission for land sale.
However, the landowners do not build any such facility. They continue plotting their land and constructing roads in their own interest and sale of the lands. The TPA has been formed to oversee that the land owners ensure these facilities before the sale of land but they never work accordingly.
A retired official Prasant Kumar Parida ruled out any irregularities in land sale in violation of RERA rules during his term of service in the TPA and demanded a probe to ascertain the truth.
Former MLA Subarna Nayak demanded an impartial probe to unravel the irregularities in land sales. Collector Ashish Thakare assured to conduct a probe into the allegations.
PNN