Jamshedpur, Jan. 14: The East Singhbhum district administration and Tata Steel have decided to undertake a joint survey of land holdings under Schedules IV and V of the lease agreement between the state government and the steel major.

The two schedules cover the land sub-leased by Tata Steel and the vacant plots available under the lease area of the company. Earlier, a joint survey has already taken place for Schedules I, II and III.

The decision to conduct a survey for Schedules IV and V was taken during a high-level meeting between the district administration and Tata Steel here today. Senior officials of the district administration, including deputy commissioner Nidhi Khare, were present at the meeting.

The Tata Steel delegation was led by deputy managing director (corporate services) Arun Narayan Singh. The meeting lasted nearly two hours. Survey of land holdings under Schedule IV assumes significance, as there has been allegations from several quarters that the steel major had “violated” the rules of the agreement while sub-leasing the land. However, Tata Steel has been denying it .

District administration sources, who attended the meeting, said the deputy commissioner had directed Tata Steel officials to submit a detailed list of the sub-leases to whom the steel major had sub-leased the land.

“Tata Steel officials have assured Khare that they will submit the details of the land sub-leased by tomorrow. There are about 10,000 sub-leases and after we receive the list, the actual verification of land holdings under Schedules IV and V will start,” officials said.

Khare said she had called a meeting of the district administration and Tata Steel who would be involved in the survey work tomorrow to brief them. District administration officials said Khare had also directed Tata Steel to furnish the details of the vacant plots of land that exists within the lease area of Tata Steel. “She has also told us that the steel major must inform the district administration whether it has planned any project on any of these vacant plots,” the sources said.

Khare has decided to keep a review meeting of the survey on January 24, between district administration officials and Tata Steel. The renewal of the land lease agreement between the government and the steel major has been hanging fire since January 1, 1996. The erstwhile Bihar government showed no interest in renewing the lease. Therefore, Tata Steel was forced to move court.

Recently, the government informed the Jharkhand High Court that it had taken steps to renew the land lease to the steel major at the earliest.