BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Government is facing heat on the land acquisition front, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pulled up the State Government for favouring corporate houses at the cost of the poor land owners. “Fixation of market value of land on lower side tends to benefit the buyer at the cost of land owners,” the CAG said in its recent report tabled in the Assembly. Erroneous fixation of land acquisition compensation led to payment of Rs. 63.98 crore less compensation to the land losers in six districts while undue favour of Rs. 70.38 crore was extended to industry promoters. The under assessment of compensation was noticed in 34 cases in which 3,120.577 acre of land was acquired for 11 industries during 2005 to 2010, the report said. The Government sustained a loss of Rs. 8.19 crore due to erroneous fixation of market value and additional payment of ex gratia to land owners in Angul district where IDCO acquired 2,788.295 acres of land in 15 villages of Angul and Chhendipada tehsils. The benefit went to the entrepreneurs. The State Government had acquired land for Vedanta Resources, Jindal Steel and Power, Tata Steel, GMR Energy, Bhusan Steel & Strips, BRG Iron and Steel, Nilachal Ispat Nigam, Rungta Mines, Brand Alloys and Eastern Steel and Power and Utkal Coal Ltd. The audit report further pointed out that the Government sustained a loss of ` 15.25 crore due to realisation of land premium at old rates ignoring the rates prescribed in the industrial promotion resolution (IPR) prevailing at the time of land acquisition. Slamming the Government for its poor land management, the CAG said though over 19,792 acres of Government land is under unauthorised occupation, there is no data on the latest position of the land and the number of occupants evicted. The CAG noted that in 41 cases though 404.62 acres of land was under unauthorized occupation of 29 parties for 5-30 years, yet lease cases were not finalised, leading to non-realisation of Rs. 109.97 crore towards expected lease value of land. Referring to the non-utilisation of land acquired and allotted to industrial houses, the CAG said out of 16,845.375 acres of government land leased out during 1985-2005 to seven companies in Sundargarh district, about 30 per cent (5,061.523 acres) was not utilised by the allottees. While Rourkela Steel Plant has kept idle 4,879 acres, L&T has not used 109.17 acres.
Comments
0 comment