Misuse of govt land: Five leases cancelled

Bhubaneswar: Around 10 months after the allegations cropped up, action has been initiated against the erring lease-holders who misused government land alloted for setting up of hospital and nursing home. Lease order of five lessees, including a former legislator, has been cancelled while re-investigation has been ordered in the case of four others, including the wife of a minister.

Sources said plot no-A/112 at Kharavela Nagar in Bhubaneswar was given to former MLA Susil Prusty in 1991 on lease basis for health care purposes. However, the lease of land was finally cancelled after government found that the land houses three families, who are not even far relatives of the ex-legislator, instead of a health centre. The lease holder was also asked to vacate the plot within a fortnight.

Similarly, four lease-holders, who will face the brunt of re-investigation, include minister Bijayshree Routray’s wife Jyoti, who is a doctor by profession. Plot no-A/117 in the same locality was leased out to Jyoti to run a nursing home on the land where she was staying with her family. After much hue and cry over the misuse of land by a minister, a signage mentioning charitable health centre was found put up there last year.

Notably, bowing down to the pressure from all quarters, the government started investigation into the land/plot allotment issue on September 3 last year. Two days after, 12 persons were served show-cause notices.