Orissa High Court

Cuttack, July 23: Orissa High Court has sought clarifications from the state industries department on a petition on alleged allotment of 11 plots of land at the Chandka Industrial Estate in Bhubaneswar for five private companies or establishments which are owned by one person or his kin.

With it, leasehold over more than 15 acres of prime land allotted at the industrial estate since 1996 has come under judicial scrutiny.

Govinda Chandra Rout, 70, and two other residents of Patia area in the city had alleged that the prime land was under the leasehold of private companies or establishments in which one person and members of his family act as chairperson, director, trustee and secretary.

The general administration department had also allotted a plot of land which was under possession of a society of which the same person is the secretary, the petitioners has alleged while seeking cancellation of the allotments as they violated the one person-one plot norm.

“After a preliminary hearing, the two judge bench of Justice B.P. Das and Justice S.K. Mishra has issued notices to the industries department, the IDCO and the general administration department,” petitioners’ counsel Ashok Kumar Mohapatra told The Telegraph today.

“The court also issued notices on Monday to the beneficiaries of the illegal allotment of 11 plots, who had been named as parties in the case,” Mohapatra said. According to the petition, the person has been able to misuse his position as partner of a firm working as chartered accountant for the IDCO and corner 15 acres from the IDCO along with two acres from the general administration department.

The petitioners on the basis of information assessed under the Right To Information Act from the IDCO pointed out that one establishment was provided five acres of land in the Chandka Industrial Estate by the IDCO “for a paltry Rs 50 lakh in 1999, when the market value of the property was more than Rs 3 crore per acre”.

The same establishment was allotted another five acres for Rs 1.39 crore. One private company represented by the person as director was granted as many as four land allotments in the Chandka Industrial area between January 2005 and April 30, 2009, the petition had alleged.

The petitioners claimed that they had sought high court intervention after petitions to the governor, chief minister, director general of police, commissioner of police Bhubaneswar-Cuttack evoked no tangible result.

Orissa High Court has sought clarifications from the State industries department on a petition on alleged allotment of eleven plots of land at the Chandka Industrial Estate in Bhubaneswar for five private companies or establishments which are owned by one person or his kin.

With it, leasehold over more than 15 acres of prime land allotted at the industrial estate since 1996 has come under judicial scrutiny..

Govinda Chandra Rout (70) and two other residents of Patia area in the State capital had alleged that the prime land were under the leasehold of private companies or establishments in which one person and members of his family act as Chairperson, Director, Trustee, Secretary, etc.

The General Administration department had also allotted a plot of land which was under possession of a society of which the same person is the Secretary, the petitioners have alleged while seeking cancellation of the allotments as they violated the one person-one plot norm.

“After a preliminary hearing the two judge bench of Justice B.P.Das and Justice S.K.Mishra has issued notices to industries department, IDCO and General Administration department”, petitioners’ counsel Ashok Kumar Mohapatra told The Telegraph today.

“The Court also issued notices on Monday to the beneficiaries of the illegal allotment of eleven plots who had been named as parties in the case”, Mohapatra said.

According to the petition the person has been able to misuse his position as partner of a firm working as Chartered Accountant for IDCO and corner 15 acres of land from IDCO along with two acres from the General Administration department.

The petitioners on the basis of information assessed under RTI from IDCO pointed out that one establishment was provided five acres of land in the Chandka Industrial Estate by IDCO “for a paltry Rs 50 lakh in 1999, when the market value of the property was more than Rs Three crore per acre'. The same establishment was allotted another five acres for Rs 1.39 crore,

One private company represented by the person as Director was granted as many as four land allotments in the Chandka Industrial area between January 2005 and April 30, 2009, the petition had alleged.

The petitioners claimed that they had sought High Court intervention after petitions to the Governor, Chief Minister, Director General of Police, Commissioner of Police Bhubaneswar-Cuttack evoked no tangible result.