Senior Citizens Demand Reduction In Conversion Fee Of Leasehold Land

Bhubaneswar: A group of senior citizens under the banner of Rameswar Baristha Nagarika Sangha staged a dharana at Mahatma Gandhi Marg here on Thursday demanding reduction in conversion fee of residential leasehold land.

“To make Bhubaneswar populated, the Odisha Government had allotted residential plots to its employees in the city in the period 1972-1990 on lease taking the full cost of the land as per bench-mark value. In that period, the bench-mark value was Rs 20,000 to 80,000. Due to an abnormal increase in the bench-mark value of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) area within a few years after 2003, the conversion fee fixed in the above resolution has been increased unexpectedly due to which lease-holders (most of them are senior citizens) are facing a lot of difficulties,” an agitator said.

“The leaseholders of Bhubaneswar had on September 21 last year, met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at his residence to demand reduction in the conversion fee. He had assured us that our demand would be fulfilled but the state government has not considered the genuine demand so far,” he added.

Hundreds of leaseholders have submitted their application individually to the Chief Minister through the Chief Secretary by registered post to fix up the conversion fee of their residential lease plots allotted before 2003 on the basis of the bench-mark value prevailing on July 18, 2003.

In a meeting held on August 12 this year at IRC Village, the leaseholders had requested the CM to fulfill their demand in order to relax the financial burden on them in their old age.