No salary for Odisha collector till villagers get compensation: High court

The affected villagers in five villages of Angul district have been running from pillar to post for the last 51 years trying to seek compensation for 62 acres of land which was submerged due to the minor irrigation project

Published on: Jan 23, 2023, 21:18:51 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: The Orissa high court has ordered the state government to hold back the salary of Angul district collectors and two others till 188 villagers get compensation for the land they lost in an irrigation project more than six decades ago.

The Orissa high court’s order came on a plea for compensation by the villagers (File Photo)

A two-judge bench of the Orissa high court comprising justices BR Sarangi and BP Satapathy ordered that the salaries of the district officials be stopped till the 188 villagers get compensation for their land that was submerged after the Kukurpeta Minor Irrigation Project was constructed.

“Since the compensation amount has not been paid to the petitioners till date, even though the land was acquired in the year 1961 and in the meantime more than 60 years have passed, this Court directs that the salary of district collector, land acquisition officer and executive officer of Angul Zilla Parishad would not be released till payment of compensation to the petitioners is done,” the high court said.

The affected villagers in five villages of Angul district have been running from pillar to post for the last 51 years trying to seek compensation for 62 acres of land which was submerged due to the minor irrigation project. Though the land was submerged, it continued to be recorded in the name of the villagers and had to pay land revenue all these years since the government did not issue a notification acquiring the parcel of land.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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