Ekamrakanan Land Row: BJP Stages Protest, Demands Odisha CM's Intervention

Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the Ekamrakanan farm in the Capital city against the decision to handover around 20 acres of the farm to the State General Administration (GA) department.

Alleging that some influential people are behind the move and a conspiracy has been hatched to use the farm's land for commercial purpose, the protestors demanded an immediate intervention of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik into the matter.

"At a time when the entire world is worried about environmental degradation, the Odisha government's move to sell the park and cut down trees is unfortunate. We demand the CM's intervention and arrest of all the conspirators," said State BJP spokesperson, Dilip Mohanty.

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On the other hand, the government has clarified that no part of Ekamrakanan has been taken by the State government and it is committed to improve the farm further.

"Ekamra Kanana is a place of pride for Bhubaneswar, and, Government is committed to improve it further. Government attaches the highest importance to the regional plant resources center functioning in the Ekamra Kanan with its wide ranging activities in biotechnological research. The place will be kept up and maintained as a public place of prominence," an official release read.

The department of Horticulture is surrendering some of its unutilised land lying vacant for five decades in mouza Jayadev Vihar and Paika Nagar. The land will be put to more productive use and it is no way related to the Ekamrakanan land, it added.

Read More: Ekamrakanan Land Row: Congress Warns Odisha Govt Of Massive Protest