Odisha Vigilance team assesses Gajbhiye land in Gop

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Gop, Aug 21:

A five-member team of the Vigilance department is in Sanakiapal under Gop block in Odisha’s Puri district today to assess the alleged land grab by suspended former Kendrapara SP Satish Gajbhiye in the name of his wife Ranjana Gajbhiye.

The Vigilance team is here to assess the value of the land allegedly purchased and grabbed by Gajbhiye in the name of his wife. The team is taking measurements of the land with the assistance of local Revenue department officials.

The Vigilance team, which has DSP K Nayak from Cuttack and DSP K Dwibedi from Puri, is being assisted in its work by the local additional tehsildar, amin, revenue inspector (RI) and executive engineer of the Water Resources department.

Earlier, Vigilance department officials had visited the area twice to investigate the matter after it hit headlines.

Gajbhiye, it may be noted, 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 and is doing fisheries on the entire stretch of land after digging ponds. Local farmers have alleged that he has even blocked the flow of a river to facilitate his fish farm.

A joint team of the state vigilance and revenue officials had recently visited Gop for an on-the-spot inquiry after allegations about Gajbhiye’s illegal acquisition of land surfaced in the wake of the charges of police excesses in Kendrapara under his charge as SP.

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