Odisha officials value Gajbhiye’s fish pond in Gop at Rs 1.5 cr!

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Konark/Gop, Aug 22:

The estimated price of the disputed fishing pond owned by suspended former Kendrapara SP Satish Gajbhiye’s wife Ranjana Gajbhiye under Gop block in Odisha’s Puri district is more than Rs 1 crore.

Going by the estimate done by officials of the Vigilance and Revenue departments, which had visited Sanakiapal under Gop block on Friday to conduct measurement and assess the price of the land, the price of the land in question would be around Rs 1.5 crore.

A five-member Vigilance team led by Cuttack Vigilance Cell DSP SK Samal and Puri Vigilance DSP PK Dwibedi, accompanied by Gop Additional Tehsildar Umakanta Nayak, the local amin, revenue inspector (RI) and executive engineer of the Water Resources department, had visited the disputed land yesterday and measured the length, breadth and depth of the pond purportedly used for pisciculture.

Besides, the team investigated the kisam of the land purchased and allegedly encroached.

The sleuths also interacted with the locals and lent an ear to their complaints too.

The assessment report prepared by the officials will be submitted to the government soon, sources said.

On August 19, the Board of Revenue, Odisha had ordered a Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) level inquiry into the alleged land grab by suspended former Kendrapara SP. The Board had directed RDC (Central) Bikash Mohapatra to conduct an inquiry into the alleged land grab by Gajbhiye in his wife’s name.

Notably, Gajbhiye had purchased 7.60 acres of land in the name of his wife, but has allegedly encroached on nearly 70 acres of adjacent government land for pisciculture purposes by digging ponds. Local farmers have alleged that he has even blocked the flow of a river to facilitate his fish farm.