Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 30: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that 12,393.651 acres of land allotted between 1981 and 2021 for establishing industries/allied activities had not been utilized.
Similarly, the CAG said in a recent report on the performance audit of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department that 252.692 acres of allotted land were utilised for purposes other than those for which they were sanctioned.
Nearly 504 acres of agricultural land in 24 tehsils were converted for non-agricultural use without complying with the procedures laid down in the Orissa Land Reforms (OLR) Act. Of this, about 250 acres were used for commercial projects, 132.8 acres for residential developments, and 53.6 acres for educational institutions, the CAG said.
In the absence of village-wise land banks stipulated by the Odisha Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Rules, 668.893 acres of government land, valued at Rs 597.87 crore, remained under unauthorised occupation, it said.
In 24 sampled Tahasils, 504.768 acres of agricultural land were utilised for non-agricultural purposes, such as setting up of educational institutions, industries, religious organisations etc.
In two Tahasils, 10.085 acres of agricultural land were converted to homestead category without genuine approach roads to the converted plots.
It said conversion of 30.3 acres was allowed without seeking the views of development authorities, and conversions of another 10.7 acres were sanctioned in six tehsils despite written objections from development authorities.
Further, the auditor found that 568.876 acres of forest land were utilised for non-forest activities without prior approval from the Central Government in six sampled Tahasils.
Furthermore, 13.65 acres of land within a Wild Life Sanctuary area were sold by creating 156 sub-plots, disregarding the stipulations in the Wild Life Protection Act.
In Puri and Khordha districts, 41.65 acres of land falling within Eco Sensitive Zones (ESZ) were utilised for activities not permitted in the ESZ notification, the report stated.
Several irregularities were found, including a lack of a monitoring mechanism for submitting monthly/quarterly progress reports on the utilisation of allotted land for intended purposes, resuming unutilised lands, and detecting unauthorised use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.
The CAG recommended that the Revenue Department take effective steps to ensure allotted land is utilized for intended purposes within the stipulated period. If the allotted land is not utilised for the intended purpose within the stipulated period, it should be resumed.
The Department should establish a land bank as envisaged under Odisha RFCTLARR Rules, 2016 and take effective steps to prevent encroachment of government land and evict encroachments, it suggested.
Further, a robust mechanism need be adopted to prevent unauthorised use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purpose and strict action may be initiated to limit the same, the auditor said.
