Land row: Many Nuapada projects’ fate uncertain

Monday, 10 September 2018 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA

An inactive administration accompanied by self-seeking political leadership on the one hand and an indifferent intelligentsia on the other can cause a great loss to public good. One can go through the following instances to get a glimpse of such unwanted happenings that have caused great loss to public assets and stalled development in Khariar town of Nuapada district.

The Government has allotted Rs 2.5 crore for construction of a new CHC building (Rs1.68 crore) and drug distribution center (Rs 50 lakh) and a post-mortem house in Khariar town.

In addition, there is also a sanction of above Rs 4 crore in the FY 2018-19 for construction of 17 staff quarters, a 1,000 feet compound wall with gate and two public toilets. The fate of these funds hangs in balance due to negligence of the district administration in providing encroachment-free land to the Health Department.

The construction of the Mother and Child Health (MCH) Centre with an estimated cost of Rs 5.38 crore has been stopped due to an injunction obtained from the Court of Senior Civil Judge, Khariar, by a private trust, called Sri Sri Radha Krishna Bije Panchadebata. The trust is claiming ownership of the four acre land where the construction is going on, although the land has already been alienated in favour of the Health Department by the Revenue Department. Collector, Nuapada and Tehsildar, Khariar, who figure as Defendant No.1 and 2 respectively in the suit, said to have been debarred now to file Written Statement (WS) since the statuary period has lapsed.

“They are now allowed to submit para wise comment to prepare WS, for which they have been intimated, but unfortunately, they are not turning up,” said Additional Government Pleader (AGP) Chittaranjan Singh Deo.

“It is a public issue; thus we requested Dr Poma Tudu, the district Collector, Nuapada, to submit their response to the court as early as possible, but she informed that, the administration does not need to file WS in the local court as a matter is pending with the Board of Revenue,” revealed Sanjay Tiwari, who along with members of Khadial Yuva Manch had met Dr Tudu a couple of months ago in the grievance meeting at Khariar.

“The suit in the Civil Court has nothing to do with the case filed by the Government in the Board of Revenue. The administration has to file para wise comment in the Court of Senior Civil Judge. Negligence by the administration to do so may lead the case to be declared ex parte in favour of the petitioner," said the AGP.

"The land where the MCH centre is under construction can accommodate all other constructions for which the funds have been allotted, but due to negligence of the administration in submitting the WS, the case is lingering and the stay has not been vacated," he added.

This is not the only case where the administration has failed to take a right approach in right time; there are many other cases, where things have rather got complicated. The land where the building of the Model Degree College was constructed recently has now arrived in a controversy due to a civil suit filed by a farmer against the college authority, the Collector and other authorities in the Court of Civil Judge, Khariar.

The petitioner has claimed that the college building has been constructed in his two acres of patta land and the authority did not listen to his objection while the construction was going on. He has demanded a compensation of Rs 56 lakh for damage in agriculture and has prayed for a direction to the administration to vacate his land.

The land belonging to the Agriculture Department and located along the National Highway in the heart of Khariar town is also under the possession of various private parties. It is learnt that neither the Agriculture Department nor the district administration has initiated steps to restrict these illegal construction on the land. On the contrary, the department was forced to close the main entrance, opening to the NH.

A sprawling area of 2.51 acre belonging to the Education Department has been under encroachment of local people and permanent constructions are gradually coming up in the prime plot, but the administration is yet to initiate step. "We have demanded construction of a compound wall but the Government is not listening to our demand," said a teacher of Raja AT High School.

"Many such prime plots of the Revenue and other Government departments are under illegal occupation of private parties, but the district administration is not interested to vacate them. It will be difficult to find a plot in future for public purposes, if such a trend continues," said Tapan Dash, a resident of Khariar.