BHUBANESWAR: Though prior consent of gram sabha is a pre-requisite for acquisition of land in scheduled areas, in a large number of cases between 2017-18 and 2021-22, it was violated by the previous government, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found.
In 126 out of 294 cases, preliminary notifications for acquisition of land had been issued without conducting gram sabha meetings. In ten cases, gram sabha meetings were held after the land acquisition notification was issued, said the report laid in the Assembly by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday.
The CAG audited land acquisition cases in Kalahandi, Keonjhar, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur and Sundargarh districts. In case of acquisition of 297.4886 acre of land in Koraput, Sundargarh, Kalahandi and Mayurbhanj, consent of the gram had not been obtained.
The CAG test-checked 312 land acquisition cases, which included 58 cases relating to irrigation projects, for which social impact assessment (SIA) was not required. Out of the remaining 254 cases, SIA had not been carried out in 44 cases.
Besides, the CAG found irregularities in payment of compensation to the displaced and affected families. Preliminary notification for acquisition of land, under Section 11 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 should be issued within 12 months from the date of appraisal of the SIA report by an expert group.
But the CAG found that in acquisition of 82.852 acre land for three projects, preliminary notifications was issued after lapse of about one and half years from the stipulated date.
In 74 (36 per cent) out of 203 test-checked cases, the sales data of the adjoining villages had not been obtained for determination of the market value of the land notified for acquisition. In six cases, involving acquisition of 43.48 acre land, audit assessed the extent of undervaluation of land as being Rs 10.07 crore.
In Sundargarh district, the benchmark value despite being higher than the average sales value of similar category of land in other districts had not been considered for determination of the market value of land. Resultantly, the amount of compensation was under-assessed by Rs 5.27 crore.
In 179 cases, involving acquisition of 3,055.583 acre land, the compensation amount of Rs 120.94 crore could not be disbursed due to non-updation of land records.
Besides, audit found that 57.453 acre land had been taken over by the government without initiating LA proceedings and also without paying any amount towards compensation in disregard of the provisions of the RFCTLARR Act, 2013.
Although affected families were entitled to R&R benefits, 13,415 families were denied the same amounting to Rs 737.82 crore. Besides, the CAG found 2,208 affected/ displaced families had not been disbursed their R&R entitlements of Rs 176.51 crore, even after their displacement or acquisition of their land.
