Kalpataru Das

Bhubaneswar. Aug. 5: Demanding a judicial probe into the allotment of multiple houses and land plots to influential people by government agencies in the twin cities, the CPM today accused BJD vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Kalpataru Das of owning more than 41 plots and houses in Bhubaneswar and other parts of the state.

Addressing a press conference here, CPM state unit secretary Janardan Pati said: “His (Kalpataru Das) son Pranaba Balabantaray returning two of the houses is not enough. It is just the tip of the ice-berg. The judicial probe can expose how power was misused by some to grab government land and houses.”

Rejecting the government’s three-member task force constituted to examine the issue, Pati said: “The probe committee consists of official who will not be able to ask questions to MLAs, ministers and other influential people who are the beneficiaries and have got more than one house. Only a sitting judge of the high court can do justice and bring out the truth.”

Pati also said that the government in 2011 had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the then revenue minister Surjya Naryan Patro to look into the land allotment cases.

“The committee did not meet even once. The new committee constituted by the state government is complete eyewash. An attempt is being made to dilute the entire issue,” he said.

Kalpataru Das

Reacting to Pati’s allegations, Das said: “I am transparent. Whatever property I own has been shown in the affidavit filed at the time of elections. I am ready to face any probe.”

Though Pati and other Opposition parties argue that the government’s probe would be an exercise futility, task force has begun its job.

Official sources said that there had been misuse of the discretionary powers by ministers while allotting houses to powerful people and the list includes politicians and bureaucrats.

Earlier, senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra had described the setting up of a task force by the state government to review all land allotments made by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority and the Cuttack Development Authority under the discretionary quota as a ‘joke’.