Swargadwara land row: Panel headed by Collector to submit report within a week

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, Mar 23:

A nine-member committee headed by Puri Collector will probe into the allegations of land grabbing of Swargadwara land and submit a report within seven days, informed A B Ota, RDC  (Central) after an emergency meeting held here at the Circuit House this afternoon in connection with Swargadwara land row.

“Preliminary inquiries suggest of land fraud. Fraud and extent of land grabbing will be probed. The original 16 acre of land of Swargadwara comprising of 242 plots will come under the purview of the probe. The committee will submit a report after conducting plot-wise detailed probe. During the probe help of Shankaracharya of Gobardhanpeeth Swami Nischalananda Saraswati will be taken,” Ota said.

The RDC held an emergency meeting in connection with the Swargadwar land row which was attended by Puri Collector, Superintendent of Police, Additional District Magistrate and Settlement Officer.

“We are conducting an inquiry into under what circumstances lands out of the original 16.4 acres were transferred. Preliminary investigations have revealed that in some cases plots of lands were transferred through sale deeds or with permission from Shankaracharya mutt. We can only arrive at a conclusion after we examine in detail case records of each case. We will make all possible efforts to get back the 16.4 acre land. We are examining which documents were produced at the time of settlement for the transfers. We can give a concrete idea on the whole thing only after examination of different documents. We have information that some power of attorneys may be forged. We have to examine genuineness of the power of attorneys produced at the time of transfers. If the need so arises we will take the help of Shankaracharya mutt in whether the sale deeds are genuine documents or any fraud has been committed,” said Puri Collector Arvind Agarwal briefing reporters after the meeting.