Bhubaneswar, Feb 22: Amidst tension caused by the death of a Nepali girl student in the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) Deemed To Be University, the contentious issue of land grabbing by the institute seems to have raised its head, inviting intervention of the State government.

Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Saturday said patches of land encroached upon by the KIIT, if any, will be evicted soon. The government has started the process, he said.

For this, a special drive is being planned jointly by the Revenue and the General Administration Departments. The concerned departments will take action in this regard soon. Action will be taken where forest land is blocked. Strict action will be taken in case of violations, said the Minister.

Meanwhile, former Chief Secretary Bijay Patnaik made an explosive statement over land disputes at the KIIT. "When I was the Chief Secretary, there were allegations of land fraud in KIIT. The case was filed in the court of the E-State Officer.

There were allegations of encroachment of government and forest lands and construction of buildings without permission," Patnaik said. He said the previous BJD government showed undue favour to the KIIT, the founder of which was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member by the then ruling party.

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