Date:05/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120551560300.htm

Other States - Orissa

Questions raised against transfer of OSRTC land to Reliance

Staff Reporter

Demands were on for the merger of this patch of land with the Khallikote college for the expansion

BERHAMPUR: Questions were raised against the authority of the State government to sell off unused land of the Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) in the city to the Reliance group for the possible establishment of a shopping mall.

On Thursday during a meeting between the representatives of the students’ union of the Khallikote Autonomous College of the city, State Education Secretary and Transport Secretary under the chairmanship of the State Higher Education Minister, Samir Dey was held in Bhubaneswar.

As per the student leaders the State Transport Secretary openly declared that the land of the OSRTC adjacent to the college had been sold off to the Reliance around one and half years back. It may be noted that since more than last five decades demands were on for the merger of this patch of land with the college for the expansion of this more than a century old institution.

The legal experts say the State government would be into legal hassles if it has sold the OSRTC land to the private company as it was not authorised to do so.

This issue would also prove costly for the ruling BJD-BJP alliance in the city as it was related to the emotion of most in the city.

The State Secretariat member of the CPI (M), Ali Kishore Patnaik, who was president of the students’ union of the college said generations of students’ leaders including him had led agitations to get that patch of land for the college.

He added that it was a very wrong decision of the State government to hand over this patch of land in the midst of and educational zone to a private company to build up a shopping mall.

Former director of the Orissa State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC), Chittaranjan Dash reiterated that the State government had no power to sell off this property owned by a public limited company.

As per the official records this patch of land still exists under the erstwhile Orissa Road Transport (ORT) Company which was later merged with the State-owned OSRTC. The share holders of the erstwhile ORT have every right to oppose this sell or lease of land in the court of law.

“If the government was not the owner how could it decide to hand over the land to private party so secretively one and half years back”, Mr. Dash asked.