The Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) of central range, B. K. Mohapatra, on Wednesday has issued a circular asking all the ten District Collectors under his jurisdiction to probe into the land-grabbing allegations against different self-styled godmen in their respective districts.
The DCs have been asked to survey the encroachments of government and endowment lands by the godmen for their ashrams and religious retreats and report the details within 15 days.
The RDC has also warned the Collectors not to show any leniency.
Following widespread media reports that a number of godmen and godwomen have set up swanky retreats by encroaching upon government land and are allegedly involved in immoral practices there, the State government on Tuesday had instructed the RDCs to act swiftly against such nefarious activities.
Mr. Mohapatra in his circular to the Collectors of Cuttack, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh districts has asked them to prepare a list of such land-grabbers and amount of land, including the recorded characteristics of the land, if changed illegally, without following the due revenue laws.
