Paradip, April 6: The land row between the authorities of Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and Jagatsinghpur district administration is expected to be over soon.
The proposal for the final transfer of land to the port has been lying in the cold storage for five decades. Claims and counter-claims by both the port and state officials over the ownership of specific patches of land had not helped.
“A consensus has emerged with regard to the disputed patches. The outcome of the discussion held yesterday is heading towards a positive direction. By all indications, the land row involving the state government and the port would be resolved soon,” said Jagatsinghpur collector Narayan Chandra Jena.
Port trust authorities have agreed to part with some patches of land for use by the state government. The state government had asked for land within the port limits for an airstrip, state government offices and institutions, places of worship, an Odisha Maritime Academy, a fisheries department block and extension of an irrigation canal. However the port trust had earlier refused to part with land on the basis of Major Ports Act and Public Premises Act.
The PPT has been asserting ownership over 6,382.07 acres while the state government was insistent on the possession of 1072.27 acres of it. The disagreement dates back to May 18, 1966, when it was accorded the status of country’s eighth major port under Major Port Act, 1963.
“A process has been initiated in the right direction towards the settlement of land dispute. PPT, in principle, is willing to resolve the deadlock for larger public interest of the state. We had a fruitful discussion with officials of Jagatsinghpur district administration. The state government should reciprocate our gesture in solving the issue expeditiously,” said PPT chairman G. Jagannath Rao.
“The dispute mainly centres around 563 acres in Sandhakuda, Nua Sandhakuda and Bhitargada areas. The state government badly requires these land patches for various infrastructure development projects. It is a positive development as the PPT has agreed to hand over some parts of that land to the government,” said additional district magistrate Surajit Das.
The state government-owned Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation is currently in possession of 116 acres in Bhitargada. PPT had moved court challenging the acquired land, but it has now agreed to withdraw the litigation from court, said an official.
PPT has also orally agreed to transfer about 100 acres at Sandhakuda and Nua Sandhakuda slum colonies to the state government, sources said.
