Bhubanswar, March 30: Puri district collector Arvind Agrawal today submitted the interim report on the Swargadwar land scam to revenue divisional commissioner (central) A.B. Ota.
On receiving the report, Ota said: "We have come across a number of irregularities. People have purchased patches of the land using fake registration certificates. Action will be taken against those officials, who have facilitated the sale and purchase of land. We will also submit the report to the state government."
The district administration also examined Puri Shankaracharya mutt's allegation that out of 120 Shankarcharya samadhis (cremation memorials) at Swargadwar, 109 have been encroached upon. The mutt had earlier lodged complaints with the district administration that because of its failure to initiate action, many hotels had come up on the encroached patches. In many areas, the samadhis have turned into the dens of drug addicts.
In its interim report, the district administration said Swargadwar had 16.735 acres in record, but it had shrunk to just one acre. Some 242 plots have come up encroaching upon its land, out of which 158 plots have been registered in the names of various individuals.
In another development, Ota today chaired the first co-ordination committee meeting for the upcoming rath yatra. The meeting was held at the Sadbhavana Hall of the district administration.
However, many servitors boycotted the meeting.
Servitor Ramachandra Das Mohapatra said: "There has been an attempt by the district administration to defame the servitors in the public eyes. Unless steps are taken to restore the prestige and dignity of the servitors, it will have its impact on the upcoming rath yatra."
Last year, the district collector and the Puri Shree Jagananth Temple administration had initiated action against nine servitors and even suspended them for misbehaving with the collector and flouting the rules of chariot climbing.
Some of the servitors had to go to jail and were later released on bail.
Ota, however, said: "We will take all sections of servitors along with us."
Puri MLA Maheswar Mohanty said: "Like previous years, all arrangements will be made for the ensuing rath yatra with the co-ordination of all departments."
