GPS system to assess land encroachment by PPT

The district administration has decided to deploy the Global Positioning System (GPS) at Paradip to assess illegal encroachment of the revenue land by the Paradip Port Trust (PPT) under Kujang tehsil in Jagatsinghpur district.

Sources said, the state government had provided 4900 acres of land to the PPT authorities in 1965 for the establishment of port.

However, PPT had occupied a total of 6300 acres of land, thereby encroaching 1400 acres.

After illegal encroachment, the PPT authorities have allegedly given this surplus land to the stevedores, hotel owners, businessmen, contractors, industrialists and companies on lease and earned crores of rupees in the process.

Besides, PPT has also refrained from paying Rs 19 crore as premium charges for encroachment of revenue land to the state government in the past 45 years.]

Taking stock of the situation, the state government had directed Ashok Kumar Meena, revenue divisional commissioner (central range) to review the long standing land issues with the PPT officials.

However, Meena did not turn up and he directed Gyanranjan Dash, the Jagatsinghpur district collector to review the situation.

In the absence of Meena, Dash held a meeting with the PPT officials on Thursday.

Biplav Kumar, deputy chairman, PPT, Pravat Nanda, secretary, PPT; Saroja Kant Chaudhury, additional district magistrate, Paradip; Surjeet Dash, district rehabilitation officer and Nrusingh Swain, special land acquisition officer were present in the meeting.

During the course of discussions, it was decided to introduce GPS to assess the encroachment of land and to study the detailed land feasibility in the port area. A master plan would be prepared in which land will be super imposed through mapping.