Sonepur: The state government has recently announced to buy land owned by members of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities to protect them from exploitation and help them get the genuine prices for their land. However, a government audit has uncovered serious irregularities in the granting of sale permissions for SC/ST land in Subarnapur district.
Moreover, no action has been taken so far despite the recommendations of the CAG audit report. According to the report from the Principal Accountant General (AG), land belonging to SC and ST individuals was unlawfully cleared for sale by the offices of the sub-collectors in Birmaharajpur and Sonepur. These permissions allegedly violated land protection laws, with wealthy and influential individuals benefiting from the transactions.
As a result, members of the SC and ST communities sold their land at undervalued prices and, in many cases, became landless while their land ended up in the hands of affluent non-tribal groups. The matter came to the fore in an audit report of Principal Accountant General (AG) of Odisha. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report issued under Letter No. 1105/02.02.2024, recommended action against the involved tehsildars and sub-collectors and suggested that the sold land be restored to its rightful SC and ST owners. The report was sent to the Odisha government and the district collector. Despite the findings, no action has been taken so far by the district administration in Subarnapur, leading to discontent among the members of SC and ST communities.
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Many are now demanding a high-level investigation into the matter. According to the audit report, the Birmaharajpur Sub-Collector granted sale permissions for 213.938 acres of SC/ST land to 218 individuals. Of 181 cases examined under Section 22 of the Odisha Land Reform (OLR) Act, irregularities were confirmed in 138 cases, involving 200.753 acres of land. The total government-assessed value of this land was approximately Rs 6.17 crore.
Similarly, the Sonepur Sub-Collector approved sales of 181.37 acres of SC/ST land to 322 individuals. Out of 115 reviewed case documents, 101.594 acres were found to have been irregularly approved, with a government value of around Rs 5.23 crore. The report further revealed that from 2018 to 2023, a total of 322.347 acres of SC/ST land was approved for sale by six former sub-collectors across the district. The lack of administrative action has raised concerns among marginalised communities, fuelling protests and calls for accountability. According to the report, the government valuation at the time was Rs 11.40 crore. During this period, Gopinath Sarka, Subrata Kumar Behera, and Ashok Kumar Bhoi served as sub-collectors in Birmaharajpur. It was during Bhoi’s tenure that approval was granted for the sale of a larger portion of land.
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Similarly, in Sonepur, Balram Mallik, Nihar Ranjan Kanhar, and Ipsita Priyadarshini Mishra held the post of sub-collector. The report notes that during the tenures of Balram Mallik and Ipsita Priyadarshini Mishra, permission was also granted for the sale of additional land. Following the release of the report, the District Collector’s office requested case records from the sub-collector offices of both Birmaharajpur and Sonepur. However, no action has been taken so far. When contacted, Subarnapur District Collector Anya Das said that the audit report has confirmed irregularities, and action will be taken after the translated version of the report is reviewed.
