Odisha govt, Centre spar over the issue of land allotment to IIM-Sambalpur

In June this year, the Odisha govt, through a cabinet approval, sanctioned the lease of government land measuring 181 acres for establishment of a permanent campus of IIM-S

The Centre and the Odisha government are at loggerheads over the issue of land allotment to premier B-school Indian Institute of Management, Sambalpur (IIM-S).

With both the Centre and the state stubborn on their demand regarding taking ownership of the land, the delay in construction of the permanent campus within the time frame is only inevitable.

“The state government is owner of the land. The fees to be charged from the IIM will be a little more than Rs 30,000. All other institutions of national importance like National Institute of Science Education and Research and Indian Institute of Technology-Bhubaneswar have been given land on lease. No institution is spared from annual ground rent and cess,” said a senior government official.

In June this year, the Odisha government, through a cabinet approval, sanctioned the lease of government land measuring 181 acres for establishment of a permanent campus of IIM-S under Sambalpur tahsil. 

It is free of premium and incidental charges, but subject to payment of Rs 100 per acre per annum towards annual ground rent and cess at the rate of 75 per cent of the ground rent.

“The ministry of HRD wants complete transfer of ownership of land and not on lease basis. It is between the ministry and state government to sort it out,” said Mahadeo Jaiswal, director of IIM-S.

The ministry hopes to get the land without any cost, not even the nominal fees, sources said.

IIM Sambalpur is one of the third generation IIMs approved by the Centre in its budget in 2015. The other new IIMs or third generation IIMs are IIM Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), IIM Bodh Gaya (Bihar), IIM Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh), IIM Nagpur (Maharashtra), and IIM Amritsar (Punjab).

Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the establishment and operationalisation of permanent campuses of seven new IIMs in Amritsar, Bodh Gaya, Nagpur, Sambalpur, Sirmaur, Vishakhapatnam and Jammu. Permanent campuses for these institutes will come up by June 2021.

  

The Union cabinet has approved Rs4.019 billion for establishment and operationalisation of permanent campus of IIM-S.
 

“The government has already sanctioned lease (of land) in the name of IIM- Sambalpur but the IIM director told us they (Centre) want complete handover of land rather than lease of 99 years. The district administration has forwarded the proposal to secretary of the revenue department for putting it before the state cabinet for approval,” said Samarth Verma, collector & district magistrate of Sambalpur district.