Odisha Lokayukta sends notice to officials over alleged encroachment by institute

Petitioner says prime land was taken over by institute founded by BJD MP

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Lokayukta has issued notices to the State Chief Secretary and Director of Estate in connection with an alleged encroachment of 12 acres of prime land by the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Training (KIIT) founded by Biju Janata Dal MP Achyut Samant. The Lokayukta issued the notice on a petition filed by Pradip Pradhan, a Right To Information (RTI) activist, who alleged that the 12 acres worth ₹250 crore were taken over by the institute in an unholy nexus with the General Administration (GA) Department of the State government. “In the past six years, I have been filing RTI applications to Department of General Administration to access the information about the parcel of land leased out to KIIT. The department has been avoiding providing information. However, following intervention by Odisha Information Commission, the GA Department provided the information,” said Mr. Pradhan in his petition.