Cuttack, March 5: On receiving direction from additional chief secretary of revenue department Tara Datt, a team constituted by the Cuttack collector has identified and demarcated government land, including the one under unauthorised occupation of the Odisha Olympic Association (OOA) inside the Barabati stadium campus.

The exercise is a first of its kind to be taken up since the land was leased out to the Olympic association 65 years ago.

The state government had granted on lease 20.808 acres to the Olympic association in 1949 for promotion of sports. Subsequently, Barabati stadium had come up on the land and in addition to it several acres of government land were allegedly occupied within the campus over the years.

The Olympic association has been the custodian of Barabati stadium and the apex sports body for state association for different games.

As directed, the team led by Cuttack tehsildar, is expected to come up with "a consolidated map showing the land use of the area in different colours".

A communication issued from the revenue department on February 27 to the Cuttack collector said that a report is expected on the status of two patches of government land - 1.939 acres and 1.222 acres - adjacent to the 20.808 acres granted on lease to OOA inside the Barabati stadium campus. The report is to "indicate the exact area under unauthorised occupation of OOA and the action taken for restoration of the land".

Additional district magistrate of Cuttack Bibhuti Bhusan Das today said: "The process of identification and demarcation of government land, including the land occupied by OOA, is in the completion stage."

The vice-chairman of Cuttack Development Authority (CDA), Pratap Das, has also been directed "to indicate if plans have been duly approved for construction of buildings and other structures inside the Barabati stadium campus and action taken, if any, against unauthorised constructions".

Das said: "The verification process for compliance of the direction is on."

Additional chief secretary of the revenue department Tara Datt had issued the direction after making a field visit to assess the management of the Kalyani Mandap known as Barabati Palace and 23 shops that had come up on the 0.705 acres government land encroached by OOA.

On January 24, a committee constituting Cuttack collector and two additional district magistrates had taken over possession of Barabati Palace and the 23 shops in pursuance of an interim order of the Supreme Court on a special leave petition filed by the OOA.

On November 29, 2014, the high court had set aside the order of the first additional judge (senior division), Cuttack passed on April 16, 1999 restraining permanently the tehsildar from executing eviction order related to the 0.705 land, which had been encroached.

On December 11, 2014, Supreme Court had issued stay order on the high court order in response to the special leave petition filed by OOA challenging it. However, on January 22, Supreme Court modified the stay order and made an "interim arrangement" for management of the Barabati Palace and 23 shops on the disputed area (0.705 acres) "till final adjudication of the special leave petition".