JHARSUGUDA: Four months after the Sub-Registrar Office here was closed over benchmark valuation dispute, it reopened on Monday.
The District Benchmark Valuation Committee had increased the land value from `50 lakh in 2014 to `80 lakh in 2016 for Jharsuguda revenue division while for Lakhanpur division, it was hiked from ` four lakh to ` five lakh. Protesting the decision of the committee, locals and members of District Bar Association launched an agitation on March 16 and closed the Sub-Registrar Office. They demanded that the land valuation should be raised by two to five per cent of previous benchmark. Following the continuous agitation, the committee chaired by Collector BB Patnaik held a meeting on July 2 and revaluated the benchmark.
At the meeting, it was decided to increase the land value from `50 lakh to `52 lakh for Jharsuguda revenue division. However, price for Lakhanpur remained the same. The resolution of the committee was approved by Government recently. Informing this at a meeting here on Sunday, Chairman of Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) Kishore Kumar Mohanty said due to efforts of the Bar Association, Anchalika Vikash Parishad, district chamber of commerce and locals, the State Government approved the revised benchmark valuation. Jharsuguda Municipality Chairman Harish Ganatra, Bar Association president Raghumani Patel, benchmark valuation committee member CA Mahendra Kedia were present.