ROURKELA: With implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST), the role of Rourkela Commissionerate of the Central GST and Excise department, earlier Central Excise, Customs & Service Tax, has become central to the indirect tax administration in the region covering 12 districts.Yet, such a vital organisation does not have its own building and is functioning from private premises as land allocation for setting up the divisional headquarters has not been finalised in 22 years.
After a long wait, the State Government had finalised seven acre of land of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) at Sector-9 for then Central Excise, Customs and Service Tax wing in 2011. But the land has not been handed over due to tribal displacement issues and is as good as gone now.In 2017, acting on various petitions against transfer of the land, the National Commission of Scheduled Tribe (NCST) ordered for return of unused RSP land to tribal oustees.
Again in February 2018, the NCST asked Sundargarh district administration that no construction activity could be taken up on RSP land.Of the seven acre land, a patch of 3.69 acre was claimed to have been acquired from tribal displaced persons of RSP. But there was no record or original tribal tenants available with the Rourkela tehsil office which on June 4 clarified that there was no ‘Sabik’ (before settlement) land records of the earmarked land. Hence, it is not possible to trace out the names of the recorded tenants and other details.
Caught in uncertainty, Joint Commissioner D Chakravorty in September 2018 had written to the Rourkela Additional District Magistrate requesting to allot another piece of seven acre of Government land under Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) limits for setting up of the headquarters and staff quarters.
However, the Rourkela Tehsildar on November 19, 2018 had intimated that contiguous patch of seven acre of Government land was not available under RMC limits.