Bhubaneswar, Nov 13: Odisha government has begun the process to return the land, both government and private, acquired for Vedanta University to the government possession and private landowners, said Suresh Pujari, the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister on Wednesday.

“The state government has initiated the process for the return of the land acquired from the displaced persons. Necessary rectification will be made in the land records and land will be reregistered in the name of the owners. The government has also started a process to take back the government plots leased to the foundation. We will end this procedure within a day or two and begin the process of handing over the land to the people in Puri,” stated Pujari.

The revenue minister also said that a notification will be issued in this regard within two days. Later, the district administration will be asked to return the land and give possession to people after denotification and return of the compensation amount. He said the names of the private landowners will be entered in the revenue records of the lands replacing the names of Anil Agarwal Foundation.

On July 19, 2006, an MOU was signed with Vedanta Foundation for the establishment of a world-class, multifaceted and modern university in Puri by the company. The Vedanta Foundation also changed its decision thrice in selecting the name of the foundation during the process of land acquisition.

The company was first informed that the proposed university would be established under the Sterlite Foundation. It later changed the foundation to the Vedanta Foundation and then to the Anil Agarwal Foundation.

“In the first phase, the then government decided to acquire land in 22 villages as well as provide some government plots for the establishment of the university. The government awarded Private land measuring 4138.84 acres for the University. Of this, the foundation was given the possession of 3342.53 acres of private land for the purpose. Later, the lease applied for government land measuring 692.02 acres while the then government immediately sanctioned the lease for 509.27 acres,” added Pujari.

He noted that the foundation was given possession of land measuring 494.98 acres while a lease deed for 57.21 acres of government land was registered in the name of the foundation.

“Nine out of those displaced following notification issued by the state government, later approached the Orissa High Court on the issue. Questions were also raised in the high court over the repeated change of foundation name and the experience of the foundation regarding the establishment of such a world-class university. The litigants had also challenged the overall process of land acquisition in the high court,” stated the revenue minister.

He alleged that the process of acquisition of land by the then-BJD government was flawed and immature.

In 2023, the court dismissed the acquisition process and ordered the return of the acquired land of all the displaced persons. It also directed that the government land leased out to Anil Agarwal Foundation would be returned as well. The Anil Agarwal Foundation appealed against the order in the Supreme Court that upheld the high court decision and dismissed the plea of Anil Agarwal.

Those who had received compensation in lieu of the land would return the amount and the revenue department would make the rectification in their land Pattas.

--IANS

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