Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Pranab Balwantrai
Jagran correspondent, Bhubaneswar. Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA from Jajpur Pranab Balwantrai has come under the ambit of administrative investigation. The local tehsil office has issued a notice to him in a case of encroachment of government land related to the construction of a farmhouse in Gadmadhupur Mauza under Dharamshala tehsil of Jajpur district.
According to sources, the notice has been issued on the basis of a field report submitted by the Revenue Inspector (RI) of Talgada Circle, which identified unauthorized occupation of government land attached to the farmhouse.
Following the report, the Dharamshala tehsil office has directed Pranab Balwantrai to appear in person or through his authorized representative and submit his explanation.
This development comes after recent public statements made by Balwantrai, in which he claimed ownership of the land of the said farmhouse. Now this claim has become the center of revenue investigation.
Responding to the issue of the notice, current Dharamshala MLA Himanshu Shekhar Sahu said that the tehsil administration has documentary evidence related to the condition of the land and encroachment. Sahu said the tehsildar, who is a government official, has issued a written notice clearly stating the extent of the encroached land.
All the details are available in the tehsil records. The MLA said that further investigation may reveal more facts. He said that the entire process is being followed strictly as per the law.
The law is moving in the right direction. People have started understanding the false narrative being created. The current action of the state government reflects its stated stand against corruption.
Revenue officials said that this notice has been issued after preliminary investigation conducted at the field level. The RI report has allegedly flagged unauthorized use of government land adjacent to or forming part of the land being used for a farmhouse in Gadamdhupur Mauza.
Under the revenue procedure, the person named in the notice has to respond with supporting documents to prove lawful possession or ownership. Failure to do so may result in further action under relevant land and encroachment laws. Officials said the matter is currently under investigation and no final decision has been taken yet.
Till the filing of this report, Pranab Balabantrai has neither given any public reaction to the allegations nor to the notice issued by the tehsil office. His response to the claims made by the sitting MLA and revenue officials could not be obtained. It is noteworthy that this administrative action comes amid heightened political tension in Jajpur district following the recent violent clashes in Jenapur, which led to parallel protests by BJD and BJP supporters in the district and Bhubaneswar.
However, MLA Sahu clarified that the land related investigation is being done completely independently on the basis of official records and field verification.