One-Month Ultimatum served by Civil Society Groups of Odisha to
Chief Minister, Odisha to order for CBI investigation into land
Scam exposed by CAG
Dear friends The 24 Civil Society Groups of Odisha had staged 3-day long Mass Dharana at lower PMG, Bhubaneswar from 10 th to 12 th September 2014 demanding CBI inquiry into corruption, irregularities and illegalities in respect of allotment of land and plot by Department of General Administration, IDCO, CDA and BDA which has been exposed by CAG . The performance audit of CAG made from 2000-2012 has brought to lime light the illegal procedure followed in respect of allotment of land, keeping deliberately premium amount low in order to sell the land to so-called powerful people at throw away price, illegally regularising the encroached land in the name of the encroachers, granting huge concession to the private institutions at the cost of the state exchequer etc. After this expose, the Civil Society Groups had organised mass demonstration at lower PMG on 25.8.14 demanding CBI Inquiry into the land scam and served a memorandum to the Chief Minister in this regard. After getting no response, the groups decided to continue the stir and organised mass dharana to awaken the people about the scam and generate public demand for CBI Inquiry into it. Hundreds of the people from various districts like Angul, Dhenkanal, Bolangir, Sambalpur, Khurda, Puri, Cuttack had participated in the Dharana and expressed their solidarity to this movement.
During 3-day long Dharana, 3 FIR was lodged by Activists against Sri Tarun Kanti Mishra, Chief Information Commissioner, Sri Bijay Kumar Mishra, Addl. DG of Police, Crime Branch and Sri Jagadanand, former State Information Commissioner ( he has taken a plot in the name of his wife Smt. Manjushree Patnaik ) in Baragada police station and Capital Police station respectively. Another memorandum was submitted to Chief Minister, Odisha with one-month ultimatum to order for CBI inquiry into land scam in Odisha. The copy of the memorandum served to Chief Minister, Odisha is attached for reference. The prominent figures who addressed the meeting and expressed solidarity with this movement were Sri Rabi Das, senior journalist, Sri Prafulla Samantaray, environmentalist, Sri Narendra Swain, Kondhamal Chasi Mulia Sangh, Sri Panchanan Kanungo, former Minister, Sri Khirod Rout, senior advocate, Odisha High Court, Sri Padma Ch. Nayak, Gandhian, Sri Madhu Sudan Das, State Convener, National Youth Project, Sri lalit Patnaik, Sri Akshaya Kumar, Convener, Naba Nirman Samiti, Sri Radhakant Sethy, CPI (ML) Liberation, Sri Prasant Paikaray, Convener, Sri Narayan Reddy, former MLA etc.
The Activists and the organisers who coordinated the Dharana were Sri Sachikant Pradhan, Sri Malaya Tripathy, Sri Kahnu Ch. Behera, Sri Pratap Sahu, Sri Bijay Parida, Prof. Jantrana Parikhit, Advocate Sri Sudhir Mohanty, Sri Uma Charan Mishra, former District Judge, Sri Seshadev Nanda, Smt. Mamata Samantaray, Sri Ashok Nanda, Sri Ashok Nanda, Sri Madhusudan Mishra, Sri Jayant Das (Chit Fund Affected Persons Forum), Dr. Lingaraj Biswal, Sri Ashok Mallik, Dalit Leader, Sri Ashok Dash, Sri Hrushikesh Sarangi, Sri Pradip Pradhan etc.
The organisations which played a vital role in organising this movement are Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan, Odisha Nagarik Samaj, Odisha Durniti Sangharsh Manch, Odisha Yuba Manch, Odisha J anaadhikar Parishad, J atiya Dalit Mahasangh, Odisha Chapter, Odisha Loka samukhya, Odisha Loka Adhikar Sangathan, Proutist Universal, State Progressive Womens Forum, Chasi Ekta Manch, Chit Fund Affected persons Forum, Odisha Krushi O Krushak Parishad, Naba Nirman Samiti, Milita Odisha Nisha Nibaran Abhijan, Odisha Basti Sangrsh Samiti, Odisha International Centre, Open-hand Organisation, Dharmasala Surakhya Manch, Nilachal Krushak Mahasangh, Odisha Ghaoi Shramik Sangh.