Bhubaneswar, Sept. 30 -- The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has flagged serious lapses in the management and utilisation of land in Odisha, including large-scale non-use of land allotted for industrial and allied activities.

A performance audit covering eight districts found that 12,393.651 acres allotted between 1981 and 2021 remained unused for their sanctioned purposes, while another 252.692 acres were used for activities other than those approved.

The audit noted that Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) had allotted 50,231.849 acres for industrial purposes by March 2024. However, inadequate monitoring and weak lease provisions hindered authorities from enforcing utilisation conditions or r...