States » EastPosted at: Oct 1 2026 8:07PM


BJD main architect of illegal government land allotments: Amar Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, Oct 1 (UNI) BJP leader and former MP Amar Patnaik on Thursday alleged that the previous BJD government was the "main purveyor" of illegal allotment of government land and large-scale irregularities, citing findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Odisha Assembly.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters here, Patnaik said the CAG report, which sampled eight of Odisha's 30 districts, had exposed alleged irregularities in several sectors, including mining, drinking water, education, health, forest land, housing and land allotment.
He alleged that government land had been allotted to certain favoured institutions, individuals and companies at prices substantially below market rates, while prescribed guidelines, auction procedures and transparency norms were ignored.
"Government land does not belong to any particular government. It belongs to the people and society, while the government is only a trustee of such land," he said.
Patnaik said the state government allotted land through IDCO or the Revenue Department for setting up industries in the public interest, and had the power to resume such land if the proposed industrial units were not established within the stipulated three-year period.
However, during the previous BJD government, IDCO allegedly extended the period to five years in violation of the prescribed norms and, in several cases, did not specify any deadline for completion of projects, he alleged.
He said the CAG had repeatedly cautioned the state government in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 regarding such irregularities, but alleged that the then government failed to take corrective action and instead protected the defaulters.
"Government land was allotted at prices much below the market rate to certain favoured institutions, individuals and known companies. The prescribed guidelines, auction process and transparency in land allotment were completely ignored," Patnaik alleged.
He claimed that failure to auction government land at appropriate prices had resulted in a loss of hundreds of crores of rupees to the state exchequer. Land allotted for specific purposes was allegedly diverted for other commercial activities, he said.
Patnaik further alleged that while poor and middle-class people had to run from one government office to another for years to obtain a small homestead plot, expensive land was allegedly handed over with ease to people close to the then BJD government.
He said the CAG report had highlighted large-scale land irregularities during the BJD regime. As of March 2024, around 50,231 acres had been allotted in eight districts, he claimed.
Of the 7,102 acres acquired from private owners, including poor people, by 2018, nearly 99 per cent remained unused, Patnaik alleged.
He also cited the Shamuka Beach project in Puri, saying 1,615 acres had been acquired for the project but no development had taken place there for nearly 18 years.
The BJP leader alleged that the then BJD government did not maintain an accurate database showing how much land had been allotted, to whom, when and for what purpose.
Patnaik questioned why fines were not recovered from companies or individuals responsible for causing financial loss to the state through alleged land irregularities and why action was not taken against those involved.
He also claimed that investors were returning from Odisha because land could not be provided for setting up industries. By 2018, 5,791 acres had been provided for industrial areas and IT parks, he said.
Of the 3,706 acres allotted to 2,884 industrial units, 1,142 acres had not been handed over to the allottees, he claimed.
Similarly, of the 8,148 acres allotted in Chandaka, Rasulgarh and Mancheswar areas on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, 67 acres were allegedly under encroachment, he said.
Patnaik said 971 industrial units set up on 994 acres had remained closed, while 237 acres of the 252 acres allotted for other purposes were being used for 454 residential buildings and hostels.
He alleged that in several cases, land allotments existed only on paper and the plots had not actually been handed over to the allottees.
The BJP government led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had initiated the process of cancelling land allotments made in violation of rules or at below-market prices and bringing such land back under government control.
Patnaik also alleged that around 668 acres of land worth nearly Rs 600 crore in Bhubaneswar and Puri areas were under illegal occupation, including 180 acres of forest land.
He further alleged that the classification of agricultural land had been illegally changed and that land had been acquired through alleged manipulation in environmentally sensitive and heritage areas.
He claimed that while large encroachers were allegedly given concessions, poor people living in houses on the land were evicted and rendered homeless.
Patnaik said the CAG report had also highlighted alleged irregularities in the use of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds during the previous government.
He said the DMF was created in 2015 for development of mining-affected areas and its audit by the CAG began in 2023.
During the eight-year period, the previous BJD government allegedly used DMF funds for purposes other than those intended, he claimed.
He cited expenditure of Rs 131 crore from DMF funds on a hockey stadium, besides construction of a wholesale market in Jajpur, Mission Shakti cafes, honey production projects and installation of light posts, among other works, which he alleged were impermissible.
Patnaik said Rs 983 crore had been spent in 976 non-mining villages across the eight districts, while not a single rupee had been spent in 584 mining-affected villages.
This, he alleged, demonstrated large-scale irregularities in the utilisation of DMF funds and the involvement of the then BJD government.
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Tags: #BJD main architect of illegal government land allotments: Amar Patnaik
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