Odisha government has issued show-cause notices to approximately 300 government employees serving as district sub-registrars (DSRs) over the past decade, who are implicated in alleged irregularities related to land sales, revenue, and disaster management, as stated by Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari on Tuesday. “Officers who were assigned DSR duties from 2014 to 2024 and engaged in unlawful activities are currently undergoing disciplinary proceedings. Some of these individuals have even faced criminal charges and are presently incarcerated,” he remarked.
The state comprises 217 sub-registrar offices and 30 DSR offices. Numerous instances of land fraud and illegal activities involving DSRs have been reported in the last year. In March, a DSR along with four brokers in Sambalpur was apprehended for committing land fraud to acquire property belonging to a deceased individual through impersonation.
Most of the irregularities, however, pertain to the unauthorized registration of sub-plots (segments of a land parcel) without the consent of development authorities, which has been prohibited since the enactment of the Registration (Odisha Amendment) Act, 2013. In April, the government recommended action against 18 sub-registrars for unlawfully registering sub-plots in Bhubaneswar. Since 2014, over 300,000 sub-plots have been registered without the requisite approval from development authorities.
The minister indicated that to mitigate such misconduct, the government is now emphasizing the increased utilization of technology and advanced surveillance systems in every DSR office. “We are conducting periodic reviews of the reports,” the minister added. He was addressing media representatives prior to a workshop for tehsildars and sub-collectors scheduled for Wednesday. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is set to inaugurate the workshop.
Pujari announced that 317 tehsildars and 58 sub-collectors will participate in the workshop in person, while revenue divisional commissioners, district collectors, and other departmental employees, including revenue inspectors and amins, will join digitally. “During the workshop, officials will engage in discussions regarding their workplace challenges and the government’s priorities to ensure we achieve the desired results in the future,” the minister stated.
Officials from the revenue department have been instructed to bring progress reports of their work to the workshop. The performance of one year’s work from the tehsils will be evaluated. “Three districts and five tehsils that have distinguished themselves in their services, such as the issuance of land rights to the landless, granting land rights to tribal communities and individuals displaced by projects, as well as land acquisition for railway, highway, and industrial initiatives, will receive awards during the event,” he added.