Lokayukta issued Notice to Addl. DG, Crime Branch seeking detailed report about inquiry
into Ghangapatna land scam
Bhubaneswar: While
hearing a Complaint petition No. LY 289/19, Odisha Lokayukta issued notice to Addl. DG, Crime Branch to submit
detailed report about inquiry
into huge Corruption, Irregularities in
sale and Purchase of lease land
in Ghangapatna area of Bhubaneswar, Dist-Khurda by 17.10.19 . and
fixed 21.10.19 for next hearing of the case.
On 29.8.19., Sri
Pradip Pradhan, RTI Activist had filed
complaint in the office of
Lokayukta, Odisha alleging that Ghangaptana land scam which occurred in
2014 has been suppressed by Crime Branch at the direction of Chief Minister.
History of Ghangapatna Land Scam in Bhubaneswar
In
August, 2014, the local people and
media exposed that huge acres of leased land
of tribal people had been illegally
acquired by late Kalpataru Das and his MLA Son Pranab Balabantaray and Sri K.V.Singhdeo, BJP MLA in name of her
daughter and many powerful people
connected with BJD party in Ghangapatana area of Bhubaneswar under jurisdiction of Tahasildar,
Bhubaneswar, Khurda district. After this expose, all the opposition
political parties and Civil Society Groups
coming to the streets
organised protest dharana demanding CBI inquiry into scam Yielding
to public pressure on the issue, Chief
Minister Naveen Patnaik on August 28, 2014
had directed the crime branch to conduct a probe into the scam and
submit its report within two months.
2. During that
time, Tahsildar, in his report to the revenue department, had pointed
out large-scale irregularities in the sale and purchase of land in Ghangapatana
and how middlemen, in connivance with officials, had fraudulently sold land in
the area to several persons. He had said that part of land that had been brought back to
the government records had been purchased by K.V. Singh Deo’s daughter, Nivriti
Kumari Singh Deo’s company, Nivriti Exports Private Limited, and another part
by the Gokarneswar Charitable Trust, of which Pranab Balabantaray, MLA, son of
late Sri Kalpataru Das, Minister for
Panchayat raj, Govt. of
Odisha is the chief trustee.
3.
After
few days of inquiry by the Crime
Branch and series of arrests of
poor tribal lease holders,
the Revenue Department on 15th October , 2014 claimed
that 76 acreas of illegally
acquired land had been returned
back to Govt. fold.
4.
Though
Crime Branch arrested poor
tribals and few Govt. officials,
but it did
not take any action against the
political influential people
like Pranab Balabantaray, MLA,
K.V. Singhdeo, BJP MLA and others who
had manipulated Govt. procedure and
purchased all leased land
from poor lease holders
by influencing them
through fraudulent means.
5.
Finding abrupt
halt in Crime Branch inquiry
and Govt. declaration of
possession of 76 acres of illegally acquired land without
any official notification, On 31.12.2014, RTI Application
was submitted to the
PIO , Department of Revenue and Disaster
Management , Govt. of Odisha seeking
information about (a) details of
allegation made for illegally occupying the Ghangapatna land under
Khurda district , (b) name of the
persons, institutions or organisations
who have illegally occupied the
land and quantity of land occupied by them, (c) copy of
the documents which contain about the land
returned back to Govt., (d)
laws which was followed by Govt. to get the land returned back to Govt.
Finding denial of
information from the Dept. of
Revenue and Disaster Management, office
of Collector, Khurda and Tahasildar, Bhubaneswar, First
appeal dated 27.3.15., then
Second Appeal dt. 2.7.15 was
filed in the office
of Odisha Information Commission to Conduct
an inquiry into it and issue
direction to the appropriate
authorities to provide
information free of cost.
6.
After
two years, the Information Commission started hearing
in 2017 and after
plethora of notices issued by the
Commission in 2017 and 2018, the office of Tahasildar , Bhubaneswar provided part
information on 8.2.18. In the
letter no. 1830 dt. 8.2.18., the PIO stated
that all the original case
records have been seized by
the Economic Offence wings
of Odisha Crime Branch
in connection with P.S. Case No.
22 dated 9.9.2014. Since the matter is under
investigation by the EOW, Odisha Crime Branch, difficulties have been
experienced to provide the
other information. The
PIO also provided Seizure list
of documents seized
by Crime Branch from Tahasil
office which has not
yet returned back
by Crime Branch, though 5 years
have passed.
7.
In view of the
situation and apprehending
suppression of investigation, Sri
Pradip Pradhan had approached Lokayukta, Odisha to inquire
into the matter and take all legal action against the people invlonvolvedhis scam. On 11.9.19., Bench of Lokayukta heard the case and
directed Crime Branch to submit the report.
Pradip
Pradhan
M-9937843482
Date-
29.8.19
