Sambalpur, Feb. 8: Land will be dearer in the city as the benchmark valuation has been revised by the government. This has triggered a sharp reaction from the city’s residents.

The Sambalpur Bar Association said the revision was arbitrary. “The decision to hike the benchmark valuation has been taken arbitrarily. People will suffer because of this decision,” said bar association president Pramod Rath.

“There should be a 10 per cent hike every two years but the benchmark valuation of land this time has been sky high. At some places, the land premium has doubled,” said Rath.

He said a district-level committee, headed by the collector, decides the benchmark valuation of land every two years. “There was a 10 per cent hike in land valuation in December last year, and again the valuation has been hiked. The hike will put both buyers and sellers in a quandary,” he said.

Members of the bar association had shut down the district sub-registrar’s office yesterday to protest against the fresh valuation. The office was closed today also.

“We have decided to file a writ petition in the high court against this arbitrary hike. And the district sub-registrar’s office will remain closed indefinitely,” said Rath.

City residents have also expressed concern over the hike. “The real price of land is very low at several places in the city. But with the hike in benchmark valuation, people will have to cough up a large sum towards stamp duty,” said Balgopal Panigrahi, a local resident.

“The government should reconsider the hike and withdraw it. Landowners will not find buyers because of the steep hike in benchmark valuation,” Panigrahi added.

However, sub-registrar Srikant Behura denied that the hike was arbitrary.

“The benchmark valuation of land is supposed to be hiked every two years. But the revision of the benchmark valuation has been due since 2006. The committee has taken a decision to hike the valuation after six years,” said Behura.

He said the 10 per cent revision in the benchmark valuation of land every two years was not statutory.

“In several places of the city, the real price of land was very high but the benchmark valuation was very low. The real price of land has been taken into consideration before revising the benchmark valuation,” said Behura.