The New Indian Express 10.12.2010
Government gets teeth to act against encroachers
Moving the amendment bill on behalf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik who is also in charge of the General Administration Department, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raghunath Mohanty said over 440 acres of Government land was under unauthorised occupation. Several bureaucrats and influential persons, including politicians, are found to be in illegal occupation of the Government land.
The Minister said 10,346 cases of unauthorised occupation of Government lands are pending before the latter. In one case, the Orissa High Court quashed the notice of the court of the Estates Officer for eviction saying no cases could be initiated under Orissa Public Premises (OPP) Act for eviction of an unauthorised occupant from public premises situated under within municipal corporation so long as the Act is not amended.
As per the existing Act, the eviction law is applicable to the whole of the State, including Municipal Council and Notified Area Council. The Government is unable to initiate eviction proceedings against the unauthorised occupants of its land within the limits of Bhubaneswar municipal and Cuttack municipal corporations. Meanwhile, several encroachers of Government land have either moved the Supreme Court or are planning to challenge the Government action citing the Orissa High Court order.
Instead of waiting for the apex court ruling on the matter, the Government promulgated an ordinance on November 4. Government is contemplating to prescribe procedures to assess damage under Section-7 of the OPP Act. Apart from eviction, the unauthorised occupants will be directed to pay damages to the Government they have gained during illegal occupation of the public land, he added.
Senior BJD member Pradip Moharathy alleged that maximum grabbing of government land took place during the Congress regime. He also named two former Congress chief ministers for the present mess.
