Land forgery slur on Odisha college management

JAGATSINGHPUR: A land fraud allegedly committed by authorities of a college for getting grant-in-aid and affiliation has been unearthed by the Higher Education Department and Jagatsinghpur administration.
Kaduapada under Jagatsinghpur block has two colleges by the same name - Gadibrahma Women’s College and Gadibrahma Mahila Mahavidyalya. While Gadibrahma Women’s College is a Plus Three college, the Mahila Mahavidylaya is a Plus Two college. The management of Gadibrahma Women’s College has been accused of forging land document of Gadibrahma Mahila Mahavidyalya to get affiliation from Utkal University and grants from the State Government.

Gadibrahma Mahila Mahavidyalya was established in 1986 and has 256 seats in Arts, 128 in Science and 64 seats in Commerce stream. Back then, the college authorities had requested the local administration to provide Government land in favour of the college on lease. As per Orissa Education Act, every college has to have its own land and building to get affiliation. The then Jagatsinghpur tehsildar had sanctioned 2.99 acres of land in the name of the Mahila Mahavidyalya on lease in 1991. Gadibrahma Women’s College was also established close to Gadibrahma Mahila Mahavidyalya in 1991 with 192 seats in Arts and 64 seats in Science. Management of the Women’s College had then allegedly registered two plots of land including the land of Mahila Mahavidyalya and another plot of 2.58 acres, belonging to one Pankaj Ohja, in its name and presented the land papers before the authorities concerned. The college also got affiliation and grants on the basis of the forged document.

Principal of Mahila Mahavidyalya, Arati Mishra recently brought the fraud to the notice of higher officials of the Higher Education Department, district administration and local tehsildar and sought their intervention. She alleged that due to the fraud by Women’s College, the Gadibrahma Mahila Mahavidyalya is yet to get affiliation from Council of Higher Secondary Education. Collector Yamini Sarangi directed the local tehsildar to demarcate land of both the colleges and during investigation by revenue officials, the fraudulent land registration came to fore.

However, Principal of Gadibrahma Women’s College, Sasmita Mohanty refuted the allegation. Mohanty said no land document have been forged for the purpose of obtaining affiliation and informed that she has approached the Collector for early demarcation of land of both the colleges.Tehsildar Padmacharan Sahoo said investigation has revealed that land of Mahila Mahavidyalaya has been falsely recorded in the name of Women’s College and there was no direction by the then tehsildar to do so. He added that demarcation of the dispute plots would be done on January 30.

Property fraud

Management of Gadibrahma Women’s College has been accused of forging land document of Gadibrahma Mahila Mahavidyalya to get affiliation from Utkal University
Kaduapada has two colleges by the same name - Gadibrahma Women’s College & Gadibrahma Mahila Mahavidyalya
The then Jagatsinghpur tehsildar had sanctioned 2.99 acres of land in the name of the Mahila Mahavidyalya on lease in 1991.
Management of the Women’s College had then allegedly registered two plots of land including the land of Mahila Mahavidyalya and another plot of 2.58 acres
As per Orissa Education Act, every college has to have its own land and building to get affiliation.