JAGATSINGHPUR: Vigilance on Monday went after five revenue officials, including a former tehsildar of Kujang, for gross irregularities in State government’s Vasundhara scheme under which ineligible persons were sanctioned land while the eligible ones were left in the lurch.
After raiding nine locations in Bhubaneswer, Cuttack, Bhadrak and Jagatsinghpur, the anti-corruption wing arrested former Kujang tehsildar Ramesh Chandra Panda, Tirtol revenue inspector (RI) Santosh Mallick, his counterpart in Erasama Jyoti Bhusan Barik and two retired RIs - Narendra Lenka (Paradeep Garh) and Subash Chandra Das (Kujang). Panda is now tehsildar of Tihidi in Bhadrak district. All five were arrested on charges settling valuable government land under the Odisha Land Settlement Act in favour of ineligible beneficiaries under the Vasundhara scheme in Jagatsinghpur district.
The arrests were made after the Vigilance Cell registered a case of criminal misconduct, misappropriation, forgery and criminal conspiracy under Section 13(2) r/w 13(1) (a) of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment Act) and sections 466/409/120-B of the IPC on August 22, after allegations of irregularities surfaced. Under Vasundhara, homeless families are given land up to a maximum of 10 decimal in rural areas under the provisions of Odisha Government Land Settlement Rules.
However, there have been allegations that hundreds of poor in Jagatsinghpur district allegedly received work order for house construction without being provided land. Sources said, many genuine beneficiaries have not yet received land documents due to administrative apathy while ineligible ones, who apparently wielded influence in the district, were favoured by the authorities.
Retired OAS and former sub collector of Jagatsinghpur Mahendra Mohanty, whose house was also raided, is also under the scanner and an inquiry has been initiated against him under Orissa Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1992. During his tenure, Mohanty is alleged to have made land settlement illegally.
Illegal settlement of land in favor of ineligible (not landless) persons and settlement of encroached land in favor of encroachers in violation of OGLS Act are charges against Mohanty who is accused of causing a loss of Rs 40.65 lakh to State exchequer by abusing his official position. Additional chief secretary of GA and PG department Sanjeev Chopra has directed Mohanty to submit an explanation within 30 days failing which action will be taken as deemed proper.