Amid eviction drives, Orissa HC directs relocation of Bhubaneswar Saheed Nagar slum residents

The Orissa High Court has permitted the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to carry forward the redevelopment of Shantipalli Basti in Saheed Nagar, dismissing petitions seeking settlement rights over the land.

The ruling comes at a time when a large-scale eviction drive is also underway in Salia Sahi for the construction of a 13-km parallel road from Jayadev Vihar to Patia.

Court Says Occupation Does Not Create Land Rights

Delivering the judgment, the High Court held that ancestral occupation, even by families living in the area for three to four generations, does not translate into an enforceable right over government land, reported ET Realty.

Petitioners had argued that more than 400 families had lived in Shantipalli for decades and had received voter IDs, ration cards, Aadhaar, and civic amenities, which they claimed constituted recognition under the state’s Jaga Mission.

The court clarified that such documentation does not provide legal ownership, nor does it override statutory redevelopment. It affirmed the transfer of land to BMC and BDA and upheld the decisions of the State-Level Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee.

Allowing redevelopment to proceed, the court directed residents to move to designated transit accommodation within a stipulated period. It asked BMC and BDA to provide financial assistance.

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Salia Sahi Eviction Drive Amid Resistance

Even as the High Court’s order strengthens the mandate for planned rehabilitation, Bhubaneswar is witnessing a major clearance drive in Salia Sahi, where BMC and BDA jointly removed encroachments for the upcoming parallel road project from Ekamra Kanana to Andharua.

Officials confirmed that 517 houses have been marked for demolition in the current phase, with the operations expected to continue till November 24. Reports stated that many residents have resisted relocation, arguing that the transit houses offered by the BMC are too small to accommodate families.

Meanwhile, sources reported that several affected households spent the last two nights in makeshift shelters at an open ground, storing belongings under tarpaulins and demanding government-allocated land instead of temporary housing.