Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 10, 2015 :  Odisha Member Secretary of Board of Revenue, Ashok Tripathy on Saturday ordered a probe by the State Crime Branch into a case pertaining to irregularities in sale –purchase of Tehsil land in Chandrasekharpur the State Capital.

Besides, the Board has served notices against erring officials and more than 50 buyers.

Two of Odisha’s senior bureaucrats —Taradatt and S N Tripathy on Friday were served notice in the case by the court of Member Board of Revenue. While Taradatt is currently posted as the Director General of Gopabandhu Academy, S N Tripathy is posted as the additional secretary in union ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises [MSME].

The bureaucrats allegedly purchased disputed government land and constructed houses on it. The Board had ordered the Crime Branch for an inquiry into the land scam that included probe into the role of then tehsildar Bhubaneswar and Commissioner, Consolidation in the scam. The Board, however, has ordered for maintaining status quo on the disputed land.

The case involves about 4.5 acres of government land in Chandrasekharpur mouja in the capital city. Several influential persons have bought land from this patch, though their names have not been made public, said sources.

According to sources, one Ucchab Sahu in 1962 through manipulation had managed to record the title of this piece of valuable land in Chandrasekharpur mouja in his name. The then tehsildar and other officials had allegedly extended an extra helping hand to Sahu in the act.

The said land which was under the General Administration (GA) department of the state government was listed under the kissam (category) jhadi jungle (roughly meaning bushy forest when translated to English). Later Sahu sold the 4.5 acres of land in parts to 53 persons at different points of time.

After it came to the notice of the General Administration [GA] department, a petition was filed in the court of the Member Board of Revenue to bring back the land into the records of the government. Admitting the petition member Board of Revenue Ashok Kumar Tripathy has served notices to all sellers and buyers of the land.