The Cooperative Department in Ganjam district has issued a show-cause notice after a satellite survey revealed that a farmer registered paddy cultivation on land that in fact hosts a petrol pump. The discovery, part of a wider exercise to clean up paddy procurement registers, follows verification by the Odisha Space Applications Centre (ORSAC).
Satellite survey fake paddy cultivation uncovers registration fraud
Officials say the case emerged under the Maa Kalijai Women’s Self-Help Group Society in Badamadhapur panchayat, where the farmer had registered plot No. 2468 under Khata No. 770 as paddy land. Physical verification undertaken earlier by the Cooperative Department had not flagged the discrepancy, but the subsequent satellite survey clearly showed a petrol pump on the plot.
Authorities noted that the land-use classification (kisam) for the plot was not updated despite the presence of the pump. On 23 December the Cooperative Department directed the society to serve a show-cause notice to the farmer for registering non-agricultural land as cultivable farmland.
Society officials told reporters that the secretary acknowledged there was no paddy cultivation on the plot and attributed the record to an inadvertent error. The society also said 699 plots were struck off during the current season for noncompliance.
Local officials stressed that this is not an isolated incident. Several plots across Ganjam district showed no visible signs of paddy cultivation yet were recorded as cultivated for the purpose of farmer registration. To increase transparency in the paddy procurement process the state government ordered satellite surveys of all suspicious plots.
District Registrar of Cooperative Societies Jogamaya Sabat said the state identified 233,438 suspicious plots in the district. Around 95% of the satellite survey work in Ganjam has been completed. Preliminary analysis indicates that 171,619 plots have been classified as non-paddy agricultural land.
Officials expect the survey findings to lead to the removal of a large number of fake farmer registrations from procurement rolls ahead of the kharif paddy-buying season. During the current kharif season 156,713 farmers registered in the district, compared with 146,504 registrations in the previous year.
Authorities say the combined use of field verification and satellite imagery strengthens oversight and reduces the risk of ineligible claims. ORSAC’s imagery enabled rapid, district-wide screening that would be difficult and time-consuming by ground checks alone.
Despite the technology’s advantages, officials concede that initial physical verifications missed some cases, highlighting the need for better coordination between local societies and the Cooperative Department. The government has also warned that people found to have registered non-agricultural land as farmland may face administrative action.
As the survey concludes, district officials plan to publish consolidated findings and update land-use records where necessary. The move is expected to improve the integrity of paddy procurement and ensure that support reaches genuine farming households.
Key Takeaways:
- Satellite survey detected false paddy claims on land occupied by a petrol pump.
- Cooperative Department issued show-cause notice after ORSAC verification.
- Over 2.33 lakh suspicious plots identified; around 1.71 lakh flagged as non-paddy land.
- Authorities expect removal of many fake farmer registrations ahead of paddy procurement.
