Odisha: 1.4L suspicious plots registered for paddy sale: Satellite survey

The satellite survey conducted by Odisha Space Application Centre (ORSAC) has detected 1,44,734 suspicious plots registered by farmers for selling kharif paddy at minimum support price (MSP) in Cuttack district. After detection of such plots, the Cooperation department has initiated steps for their physical verification.

“We have received the report of satellite survey conducted by ORSAC a few days back. It has detected 1,44,734 suspicious plots. They, however, cannot be termed as fake unless verified physically to ascertain their genuineness,” said deputy registrar of cooperative societies(DRCS), Cuttack, Supriya Swain.

As many as 393 surveyors have been engaged for physical verification of the plots in 1,850 revenue villages under 15 tehsils of Cuttack district. The field visits have already started, said Swain. “If some plots are found genuine with paddy cultivation, there might be some technical glitch in the satellite survey.

However, in case of those that are found fictitious, necessary action will be taken against the farmers concerned for registering their names by showing fake plots,” she said. As per reports, around 66,000 farmers had registered their names online at 213 primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) operating in 14 blocks of the district to sell their kharif paddy this year.

The farmers had submitted the record of right (ROR) containing the plot number of their respective farmland in which they had taken up paddy cultivation. Several farmers are said to have shown multiple plots including barren land, water bodies, orchards with a motive to obtain tokens from government for sale of paddy at MSP.

This article has been republished from The New Indian Express.