Report on land allotment and decisions of Odisha Cabinet

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar, Dec 19: The following is the press brief issued by the Government of Odisha and available in the website of the Department of General Administration, Government of Odisha on – www.odisha.gov.in/ga/BRIEF FOR THE PRESSSub: Implementation of the Report of the Task Force on Land Allotment at Bhubaneswar and CuttackThe Task Force on Land Allotment in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack has submitted its report on 03.11.2014.The report was placed before Cabinet on 18.12.2014.The highlights of the recommendations of the Task Force (at P 70-74 of the Report) are given below:-1.All plots allotted under discretionary quota should be resumed, if the allottees have failed to construct houses within the stipulated five years.2.BDA, CDA, OSHB and GA Department should take up another exercise to obtain comprehensive details including the allotments made prior to 1.1.1995 to know the exact extent of individuals and families who have taken undue benefit of multiple allotments against the schematic provisions.Actual number of multiple allotments of plots/houses/flats by GA Department, BDA, CDA and OSHB against affidavits/applications, both false or not false, may be quantified.3.All allotments made before the launch of the schemes and before last date fixed for the receipt of applications should be cancelled.4.Allotments made under discretionary quota by the Minister, H & UD from 22.2.1999 to 17.5.2004 are illegal and void ab initio and may be cancelled since the notifications of appointment of Minister of State (Independent Charge) as Chairman, BDA and CDA were not revised and the Ministers concerned had not been appointed as Chairpersons of the concerned Authorities under the relevant laws and rules.5.All discretionary allotments made after 1.1.1995 should be cancelled.Further verification should be made to quantify the size of discretionary allotment.6.All pre-possession transfers except in the event of death of the allottee should be cancelled and responsibility on officials should be fixed.As regards post-possession transfers, such transfers by discretionary quota allottees and multiple allottees should also be cancelled (except in case of allottees getting only one plot/house/flat through fair means and by following prescribed procedure for such transfer).7.Recovery may be made from allottees who have disposed their allotted property under discretionary quota and have succeeded in getting further allotment.8.Allotment without evident publicity or by notifying the scheme only on the Office Notice Board needs to be cancelled.9.Applications of late entrants should be scrutinized and action taken for realization of costs or cancellation of allotment.10.Land meant for housing but allotted otherwise and land given for institutional purpose, but used for housing or otherwise should also be resumed.11.Agency-wise number of allotments as contained in the Report are given at Annexure.The Cabinet took the following decisions:-1.The recommendations of the Task Force in para 48 (P.70-74) of the Report except for para-48(4) have been accepted.2.The point relating to para 48(4) of the Report in regard to the Government notification of the Minister, H & UD as Chairman, BDA and CDA will be examined in consultation with the Advocate General, Odisha.3.In case of multiple allotments, the additional units allotted to ineligible individual/families as pointed out by the Task Force in its report be cancelled and resumed to the concerned authorities.4.G.A.(Vigilance) Department may enquire into those cases of multiple allotments to individuals/families where such allotments have been made on the basis of false affidavits or misleading information in violation of specific schematic provision and initiate appropriate criminal action.5.All allotments of plot/house/flat under discretionary quota by the BDA, CDA and OSHB under different schemes after 1.1.1995 including their pre and post-possession transfers be cancelled and the plots/houses/flats are resumed to the concerned authorities.6.The Task Force has prepared a list of multiple allotments by BDA and OSHB in Bhubaneswar and CDA and OSHB in Cuttack on the limited information placed before it by the concerned authorities.This list will not be comprehensive unless the allotments of plots/lands prior to 01.01.1995 are examined.BDA/OSHB and General Administration Department will examine the allotments made prior to 01.01.1995 at Bhubaneswar to determine the exact list of allottees who have availed the irregular benefit of more than one allotment of land/flat/house against the specific schematic provisions.CDA and OSHB will undertake a similar exercise for Cuttack urban area.This exercise will be completed within six months.7.Finance Department will conduct a special audit of all left out cases of multiple allotments as recommended by the Task Force in para – 48(2) after which action will be taken against the allottees left out in the report.8.Finance Department will conduct a special audit to find out the actual number of discretionary allotments made after 01.01.1995 including those not placed before the Task Force for discovery as recommended in Para-48(5).Action may then be taken against these left out cases9.Finance Department will conduct a special audit of all allotments made after 01.01.1995 which have been made on the basis of applications received from time to time on “case to case basis” under various schemes of BDA, CDA and OSHB as recommended in Para -48 (6).This will be done to identify those irregular allotments by BDA, CDA and OSHB shown as “normal” or through other methods.10.The modalities of implementation of the report in a time bound manner will be worked out in consultation with the Law Department and the Advocate General.This whole exercise will be completed within ninety days.11.The Report will also be made available on the website of the General Administration Department with a disclaimer that in case of any factual error, the persons may approach the concerned authority for rectification.