State Cabinet approves Lokpal report on Vedanta varsity

The Odisha Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday approved special report of Lokpal on alleged irregularities in the allotment of land for the controversial Vedanta University Project at Puri.

The Lokpal, in its report submitted on March 17, 2010, had stated that the MoU (memorandum of understanding) signed between the state government and the Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF) was not a legally enforceable contract.

AAF had initially sought 8,000 acres of land for the university which was subsequently scaled down to 6,137.90 acres. Out of this, acquisition was made in respect of 3,495.21 acres of private land while 509.27 acres of government land was leased out to the Foundation.

However, the Odisha High Court, on November 16, 2010, had declared the land acquisition process for the university null and void, pushing the project into the back burner.

Lokpal report had inferred that the officials of the state government had acted in haste to accede to the request of the Foundation, it had asked the state government to constitute a Vigilance cell to enquire into the role of officials in the matter and also monitor the progress of the project to ensure that the land allotted was not utilised for purposes other than education.

Following the approval of the Cabinet, the Lokpal report will be laid in the state assembly. The Cabinet approved four other special reports as well.

The state Cabinet gave its nod to 13 proposals, including a proposal for investment of Rs 10 crore in the power sector.