Bhubaneshwar: The Odisha Cabinet on Thursday cancelled all discretionary quota plots and houses which were illegally allotted since 1995 to highly influential people in Odisha. This after CNN IBN had first exposed these illegal allotments in 2011 and followed up the story compelling the Naveen Patnaik government to act.
Of the total allotments, 1791 of the plots and houses over a period of almost 20 years to some of the most influential people in Odisha stands cancelled by the Odisha cabinet. The beneficiaries include several judges of Odisha High Court, ministers, politicians, top bureaucrats, top cops and senior journalists of the state.
Apart from cancellation several beneficiaries who took multiple such plots filing false affidavits, criminal proceedings will be initiated against them.
Odisha Law Minister Arun Sahoo said, "The vigilance will enquire and wherever it is found that false affidavits were filed to gain such benefits strong action would be taken no matter how influential the person is."
These discretionary quota plots were originally meant for martyrs and eminent personalities like sport persons, artists who have brought fame to the state. But under the guise of these schemes, it became a common practice for the Urban Development Minister of the state to oblige influential people according to his wish.
The illegal practice continued for more than a decade until in November 2011 when CNN IBN exposed the matter naming several judges, IAS and IPS officers and ministers. The Naveen Patnaik govt had then immediately stopped further allocation of plots under this scheme but no action was taken against those who illegally benefited.
In 2014, the Comptroller and Auditor General in its report pulled up the Naveen Patnaik government for such irregularities. The state government was forced to form a task force to identify all those illegal beneficiaries and recommend action. Basing on this task force report, the Cabinet took the decision.
Ironically, one such beneficiary - Bikram Keshari Arukh - is still a senior Cabinet Minister in the Naveen Patnaik government. He had taken two plots under discretionary quota but had to return one after the CNN IBN expose.
Asked whether the ministers who are illegal beneficiaries should resign, Odisha Urban Development Minister Pushpendra Singh Deo said, "Everything will be known after the vigilance enquiry is over, there is no need to resign now."
The image of the Naveen Patnaik government had recently taken a severe beating after several scams like that of chit fund and mining got exposed and this masterstroke by the CM on discretionary quota is believed by his critics as a step to regain his old image of one who does not tolerate corruption.
Though the Odisha government is claiming that the decision of the Cabinet will be implemented immediately, many believe it might take long to practically vacate such discretionary quota plots because of several legal barriers.
Comments
0 comment