---
title: "CAG Slams Odisha Land Governance: Over 12,000 Acres Allotted Between 1981 and 2021 Remain Completely Idle"
url: https://mediathepower.com/cag-slams-odisha-land-governance-over-12000-acres-allotted-between-1981-and-2021-remain-completely-idle/
date: 2026-10-05
modified: 2026-10-11
lang: en
author: "Rajiv Singh"
description: "BHUBANESWAR — A damning report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in the Odisha Legislative Assembly has exposed massive failures in the state's land governance, revealing widespread illegal..."
categories:
  - "State"
image: https://mediathepower.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/zsaxs-1024x505.jpg
word_count: 198
---

# CAG Slams Odisha Land Governance: Over 12,000 Acres Allotted Between 1981 and 2021 Remain Completely Idle

**BHUBANESWAR** — A damning report by the **Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)** tabled in the Odisha Legislative Assembly has exposed massive failures in the state's land governance, revealing widespread illegal conversions, weak enforcement, and thousands of acres of prime public land lying idle.The apex auditor's investigation highlights a severe lack of tracking databases and regular field inspections by key state bodies, including the **Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO)** and the Revenue Department.

- **Idle Industrial Plots:** Over **12,393 acres** of land allotted for industrial purposes between 1981 and 2021 remain completely unutilized, stalling economic development.

- **Unauthorized Activity:** Another **252.7 acres** of industrial land were found to be diverted for unauthorized activities.

- **Illegal Conversions:** Nearly **504 acres** of agricultural land across 24 tehsils were unlawfully converted for commercial, residential, and educational uses without following legal procedures or paying required fees.

- **Encroachment Losses:** Weak enforcement by local revenue officers has left **668.9 acres** of government land under illegal occupation. The CAG values this encroached public property at a staggering **₹597.87 crore**.

The report calls for urgent systemic reforms, demanding that the Odisha government immediately establish robust monitoring mechanisms to track public land and initiate recovery proceedings for unutilized and encroached assets.