Bulldozers to be used to raze illegal encroachment on govt land: Odisha minister

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had last week directed collectors of all districts to “free government land from encroachments across the state”

Updated on: Jul 17, 2024, 20:37:06 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneshwar: Odisha revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday said bulldozers would be used to demolish illegal constructions on government land in the state.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, while speaking to media persons in Sambalpur on Wednesday, said earlier the structures of poor people, who had encroached upon small portions of land, were being evicted in the state, and now the action would be taken against the rich and other influential people in the state.

“In the last several years, huts and similar structures made by the poor people on small pieces of encroached land were being pulled down, while rich and influential elements were left untouched in the state in the past. However, the state government has now decided to take action against the rich and other influential people in the state,” said Pujari.

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had last week directed collectors of all districts to “free government land from encroachments across the state” while expressing serious concern over rampant unauthorised occupation of government land, which has hampered development works and public welfare programmes.

Pujari said that the CM had directed the collectors to protect government land after recovery from encroachers through suitable fencing and putting display boards, mentioning that unauthorised entry is a cognisable offence.

The Odisha government does not have concrete data or records of the extent of public land under encroachment as the last estimation of unauthorised occupation and encroachment of government land was done 13 years ago. Erstwhile revenue minister Surjya Narayan Patro told the state assembly in 2011 that the government identified a total of 242,000 acres of government land under unauthorised occupation, following which more than 326,000 cases were filed under the Orissa Prevention of Land Encroachment (OPLE) Act. Of the 326,000 cases, over 181,000 were disposed of, and 91,734 acres of land were recovered.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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