ROURKELA: Encroachment of prime government land continues unabated in the Steel City with the Sundargarh administration turning a blind eye to the illegal act.
In absence of enforcement, encroachers are brazenly grabbing government land and building concrete structures both for residential and commercial purposes. Chhend Colony resident Pramod Singh said several acre of costly government land near Dhamra Sangh building and along the boundary wall of Biju Patnaik University of Technology have been grabbed by encroachers.
Several shops have also illegally come up in front of Rourkela Government Autonomous College at Panposh along the Rourkela main road recently.
Five days back, State BJP spokesperson Dhiren Senapati drew attention of Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) Commissioner Dibyajyoti Parida towards fresh construction of several illegal structures along the ITI-Chhend Colony road. Senapati claimed that while resentment is brewing among residents of Chhend Colony over the blatant land grabbing, the administration’s silence is emboldening the encroachers.
Sources said several slums have some up on both sides of Durgapur foothills between Chhend Colony and Kantajharan over the last decade. Slums have also come up on vast stretches of land at Durgapur foothills. Even now, trees are being clandestinely felled in the area occasionally.
Rourkela DFO Maheswar Sethi claimed that no fresh encroachment is being allowed in Durgapur reserve forest area. Officials are taking prompt action and demarcation of the reserve forest would be carried out soon with installation of pillars to facilitate corrective measures.
RMC Deputy Commissioner Sudhanshu Bhoi said the civic body and the district administration are regularly taking action to prevent fresh encroachment.