Bhubaneswar, July 20: In response to allegations of irregularities in the allotment of land for the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) office, Sankha Bhawan, in Bhubaneswar, the Odisha government announced on Saturday that a thorough investigation will be conducted.
Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari assured reporters that the claims regarding the land allotment for the BJD office will be meticulously examined. Based on the investigation's findings, appropriate actions will be taken, and any wrongdoing will be addressed accordingly.
The allegations suggest that land conversion was conducted clandestinely before the construction of Sankha Bhawan in a prime location in Odisha’s capital. It is claimed that land initially intended for a road was converted into ‘gharabari’ kisam (residential category) before the BJD office was built. Additionally, it is alleged that rules and regulations were overlooked and twisted, enabling the purchase of this prime land from the government at a significantly reduced price.
According to sources, Sankha Bhawan was constructed on a piece of land measuring 1 acre and 183 decimals, which was formed by merging four separate plots in Ganga Nagar mouza. While three of the plots were categorized as ‘gharabari,’ one plot was designated for a road. The General Administration department allotted this land to BJD on lease, with terms stipulating that the land category could not be changed. However, it is alleged that the road-designated land, was combined with the three ‘gharabari’ plots for the construction of the BJD office.
Refuting these allegations, BJD media coordinator Lenin Mohanty stated that the land allotment for the party headquarters in Ganga Nagar adhered to benchmark value norms, with a total payment of Rs 13 crore.
In a statement, Mohanty emphasized that the allotment was conducted in accordance with regulations. He also noted that the BJD was allocated 1 acre and 183 decimals of land, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received 1 acre and 269 decimals of land in Kharavel Nagar, Bhubaneswar. According to records, the conservancy lane between two quarters was not designated as a public road.
Senior BJD leader and party’s organizational secretary, Pranab Prakash Das, criticized Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari for allegedly being ignorant of the facts related to the land allotment.
In a post on social media platform X, Das asserted that there were no irregularities in the leasing and construction of Sankha Bhawan. He highlighted that the same high-power committee allotted land for the offices of both BJD and BJP.
