Bhubaneswar:
Seeking
an explanation from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on alleged miss use
of discretionary quota in land allotment, senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra
demanded a CBI probe into the matter in which Comptroller and Auditor General
has also found illegalities.
"It seems land mafias are ruling the state. The
truth in illegalities committed in land allotment will come out if all deals
made since 2002 is handed over to CBI for a thorough investigation," told
Mohapatra .
Hitting out at the BJD government for doing nothing about
Orissa High Court order of April 2002 for framing a uniform land allotment
policy, the BJP leader said only a probe by CBI would ensure punishment to
culprits. Claiming that more than 20 persons including bureaucrats and
ministers had been allotted more than one plot in violation of guidelines,
Mohapatra said though the High Court had directed the state government to
prepare a master plan for allotment of land in Bhubaneswar under discretionary
quota in April 2002, no concrete action has been taken.
Though a committee chaired by the chief minister was
formed in 2010 on such a master plan as directed by the high court, there has
been no outcome, Mohapatra said asking Patnaik to give an explanation about the
alleged inaction.
The BJP leader further claimed that the CAG in two
communications to the state government in January 2013 had informed it about
illegalities detected in allotment of land. However, no action was taken
by the state government despite being informed by the CAG, he said.
"The chief minister owes an explanation. People of
the state want an answer from Naveen Patnaik as to why no action was taken
against those who acquired many government plots and flats in a fraudulent
manner," Mohapatra said.
Referring to a flat returned by a BJD MLA and son of
Rajya Sabha member and former minister following widespread furor, the BJP
leader said merely returning a land or house is unacceptable as criminal action
must be taken against all such law breakers. "The government on its own
should have cancelled the property and initiated criminal proceedings against
the violator," he said.
It is unfortunate that perhaps for the first time the CAG
named a minister of the state for illegal possession of plots and houses by his
family member, he said.
Source: Odishabook.com
