Cuttack: As many as 46 acres of land on the banks of the Kathajodi has been under private ownership. The revelation has exposed an apparent nexus between dishonest government officials and the land mafia.
According to sources, the caretaker of an organisation had approached the joint commissioner (land Consolidation) for mutation of the river land. The joint commissioner has reportedly written to the tehsil administration to inform him about the status of the land. After this, an inquiry into the status of the land was started by additional collector (revenue) Bibhuti Bhusan Das, deputy collector (revenue) Sadhucharan Sahu and some officials of Cuttack Sadar tehsil.
“We have started an inquiry to find out how the river land came under private ownership and what the current status of the land is. Everything will be clear after verification of the land records,” said Das.
Sources said the irregularities had occurred at Dian Rajhans mouja of Sadar tehsil, under which four plots of altogether 46 acres were registered under the name of the caretaker. While the plots were recorded in the name of the person during land settlement way back in 1974, the registration process was completed in 1987. The additional collector (revenue) found out during his inquiry that the plots belong to the Kathajodi riverbed and banks.
However, this is not the only case in which river land has been grabbed. In Gopalpur mouja, an individual is said to have got land deed for 2 acres and 86 decimals of river land.
This came to light when the person applied for mutation of the land. Deputy collector Sahu said the person initially had 55 decimals land near the river. However, during the settlement in 1974, he got the remaining land registered in his name. A case was lodged with the then commissioner (land consolidation) in 1978, after which a reconversion of the river land was ordered. However, the commissioner’s directive was never implemented and finally, in the land consolidation record of 2004, the entire land appeared to be registered under the individual’s name, added Sahu.
The district administration has lodged a petition again with the joint commissioner (land consolidation) in this regard after the matter came to fore, said Sahu.
In yet another case, some locals from Mahanga tehsil area have been illegally occupying some land on the bank of the Gobari river and carrying out cultivation there. A change in the course of the river is said to have prompted the illegal occupation of river land. While the river is eroding its bank on one side, eating up many farmers’ land, islets are being formed on the other side, where illegal farming activities are flourishing.
Some locals have approached the tehsil office in this regard, but to no avail. The incident came to light when they moved the Board of Revenue member Ashok Kumar Tripathy, who has directed the district collector last month to conduct a probe into it.
“We have asked the Mahanga tehsildar to conduct a field visit and file a report accordingly. Encroachments will be removed after we receive the report,” said district collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra. PNN