BJP Brings Land Grab Charge Against BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathi

Bhubaneswar: The BJP on Monday demanded action against the BJD MLA and former minister Pradeep Maharathi for grabbing government land worth over Rs 100 crore.

Displaying the land documents at a press briefing here, BJP spokesperson Golak Mahapatra said Maharathi had grabbed a vast patch of government land near his farmhouse at Hunkeipur.

Apart from Maharathi, Congress leader and former Pipili MLA Judhistir Samantaray had also acquired the government land of about Rs 300 crore in the name of his friends and relatives, he added.

“Samantaray had filed a petition against Maharathi in the High Court in the land grab case in 2015. The court in its order in 2016 had asked him to take up the matter with the then Puri collector. Instead of consulting the collector, he later had an understanding with Maharathi and took possession of the government at Siula, Ekachalia and Nijigada,” he added.

In his reaction, Maharathi said such statements does not bother him. “It is up to the state government to take a call on this matter,” he told mediapersons.

Asked about the matter, Revenue and Disaster Management minister Sudam Marandi said there was no official information about this matter. The Minister said that he would look into it once he had the information.