LAND TO TECHNO-EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN BHUBANESWAR

Allotment of Land to Educational and Technical Institutions by IDCO in Bhubaneswar

According to the provisions of OHDC Act, 1980 and IPrs of 2001 and 2007, the Government granted land on lease to IDCO at concessional rate for eventual allotment of the same to industrial units for the purpose of securing and assisting rapid and orderly establishment of industries, trade and commerce in the state.  The Government  allotted 8235.872 acres of land to IDCO for industrial purpose  of which  IDCO was found to have allotted  311.76 acres of land  in favour of different educational institutions and technical institutions  which is not the mandate of the IDCO. A total no. of 150.79 acres of land have been allotted to educational and technical institutes in Bhubaneswar which is as follows.

Sl.	Name of the Institutions	Area allotted (in Acres)
1	Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology(KIIT), Bhubaneswar	89.170
2	Navadiganta Educational Trust, Bhubaneswar	22.860
3	Odisha Trust of Technical Education and Training (OTTET), Bhubaneswar	0.198
4	Gokarneswar Charitable Trust, Bhubaneswar	1.360
5	Silicon Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar	18.376
6	Saint Sirdi Sai Education Society, Bhubaneswar	3.670
7	Dinabandhu Foundation for Educational Research and Economic development, Bhubaneswar	10.040
8	Future Focus and Initiative, Bhubaneswar	4.394
	Total	150.79

In the absence of a uniform, transparent and equitable land allotment policy, IDCO was allotting land in industrial estates to educational institutions which ultimately resulted in allotment of more land to them than actually required.

KIIT, as an Institute which evolved from one functioning out of a single rented room in 1992 to one that boasts of 10 sprawling wifi enabled campuses in Bhubaneswar was allotted prime land of 89.170 acres by IDCO. The details are as follows.

Sl.	Allotment/Regularisation of IDCO land by KIIT	Allotment of land
1	Purchase of  land mortgaged to Odisha State Finance Corporation  ( OSFC)	13.483
2	Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction  (BIFR)	16.200
3	On Mutual Transfer from other allotees	14.515
4	Auction conducted by IDCO	7.492
5	Encroachment of land regularised by IDCO	16.397
6	Allotment made directly by IDCO	7.083
7	In Principle allotment of land encroached by others	14.000
	Total	89.170

CAG Audit scrutiny has revealed  that although direct allotment of land to KIIT by IDCO was meagre (7. 083 acres), there were instances of undue benefit extended to KIIT in acquiring the remaining land  ( 82.087 acres) violating procedures of  land  allotment which resulted in a loss of Rs. 252.54 acres.

Besides that  KIIT has again occupied unauthorisedly 18.864 acres of land, the benchmark valuation of land is Rs. 94.32 crores. Astonishingly, IDCO though aware about this unauthorised occupation has not taken a single step  for eviction. The attitude of  IDCO  subsequently encouraged other encroachers to encroach upon the valuable land first and then get them regularised. To this extent, IDCO was merely acting  as a regularising agent of irregular encroachments though under the IDCO Act, no such authority or power was vested with IDCO. It is also found that all the proposals of KIIT were simply accepted by IDCO violating all norms and procedures of allotment.

Pradip Pradhan, M-9937843482

Date 29.08.2014