Odisha revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 5: Legislators representing Bhubaneswar in the Assembly today raised the issue of disparity in land valuation for various parts of the capital and its outskirts.

BJD MLA Bijoy Mohanty, who represents the Bhubaneswar (Central) Assembly constituency, pointed out that there was a disparity in valuation of government land belonging to the general administration department and private land located within the city and on its outskirts. He wanted the government to explain the reasons behind such disparity.

Echoing Mohanty, his colleague from the neighbouring Ekamra-Bhubaneswar Assembly constituency, Ashok Chandra Panda, said he had received several complaints about disparity in land valuation even in adjacent localities.

Odisha revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro said the value of the government land owned by the general administration department was determined, not on the basis of the market price, but on the premium approved by the Odisha cabinet.

The government had issued a notification on July 5 fixing the premium rate for private land located in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation limits on the basis of benchmark valuation based on the demand and prevailing market price for the government land too, he said.

As per the Orissa Stamp Duty (Amendment) Rules, the benchmark valuation of land is done based on infrastructure facilities such as road and rail connectivity, power and water supply, health care and education.

“Therefore the valuation rate varies depending on the type of land and its location,” said Patro.

He said the members that the district collector had been supplied with the guidelines detailing the criteria for land valuation. A committee had been set up, headed by the Khurda district collector, to deal with the land valuation.

BJD MLA Mohanty cited an instance in which compensation was paid by two government agencies for the same area. He said National Highways Authority of India paid compensation at the rate of Rs 51 lakh per acre for land acquisition at Jharsuguda and Laxmisagar areas, while the State Sewerage Board had made payment at the rate of Rs 32 lakh per acre for the same locality.

The displaced families have received the compensation amount with objection, he said urging the government to revise the compensation rate.

However, the sub-registrar’s office in Bhubaneswar, where land registration is done, continued to remain closed to the public since September 2. Lawyers and writers who facilitate registration of land documents have been agitating outside the office in protest against the government’s decision to revise the prices.