Over 12,000 acres allotted for industry between 1981 and 2021 remain unutilised in Odisha: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found that large tracts of land allotted to industries and other organisations in Odisha between 1981 and 2021 were either left unutilised or diverted for purposes other than those for which they were originally allocated. It also flagged several instances of encroachment on government land, including by educational institutions.

The Odisha Government Land Settlement (OGLS) Act, 1983, and the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013, stipulated that leased or acquired land must be utilised within three and five years, respectively.