Bhubaneswar: Don't get surprised if you are offered to pay Rs 60k for a 1000sqft land worth Rs 10 lakh on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. Yes, you heard it right. In Bharatpur mouza, on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, acres of government land are being sold illegally by land mafias and the cost of the total land is estimated to be around Rs 500 crore.
Investigation reveals that the State government has acres of land tracts in Bharatpur mouza, which comes under Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). But a chance visit to the area will give you the impression that the State government is coming up with a huge residential project as boundary walls have been erected around fixed size plots. With adequate space left for concrete roads and markets, as seen in big ticket housing projects, the site provides ample scope to lure a prospective buyer.
The most important part is the price tag of these plots.
Posing as a buyer, when a correspondent of OTV spoke to one of the land mafias, he informed that plots which varies from 800sqft to 1500 sqft, are being sold at a price range inbetween Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh. If the plot is close to roadside, than the buyer has to cough up a little more. The plots in deeper areas are sold at a lesser price, he noted.
Of course, the buyer, who is getting land at throwaway prices has to compromise with one thing and that is the patta of the plot.
"Buy the plot, erect boundary wall and start constructing your home. Nobody is going to ask you anything," another person said.
To the surprise boundary walls have been made over a hundred plots in the area. In few places people have also dug borewells.
Meanwhile after coming to know about the irregularities in land deal the State Government has ordered for a probe.
"We take legal actions whereever we find such illegal activities. Besides evictions are also going on in many places," said Debendra Mohapatra, Director, Estates, General Administration department.
"I have asked the Revenue Inspector to enquire into the incident," he stated.