Over 500 acres of govt land illegally encroached in Bhubaneswar: Odisha CM

In a major disclosure during the Legislative Assembly session, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced on Monday that over 500 acres of government land under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits have been illegally encroached.

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The CM stated that encroachment has spread across several prime localities of the State Capital, including Bapuji Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Ganga Nagar, Saheed Nagar, Surya Nagar, Bomikhal, Jharpada, and Patia.

According to the CM’s written reply to a query, influential individuals are occupying these government lands, leading to long-standing disputes and blocking civic development.

CM Majhi informed the House that the State government is taking firm steps to clear the encroachments. A special committee has been formed to carry out eviction drives and reclaim the occupied land.

A Central Enforcement Monitoring Committee (CEMC) has been constituted to monitor and coordinate the eviction drive. So far, through the CEMC, more than 70 acres of government land have been freed from unauthorised occupation.

The government has emphasised that recovering public land remains a priority, and strict action will follow against those involved in unauthorised occupation.

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and BMC are jointly working to identify and evict unauthorised occupants from government land in the Capital City. A preliminary list of such illegal occupants has been prepared for eviction.

To evict such occupants, action is being taken in accordance with the provisions of Orissa Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1972, and cases are filed before the competent authority. Decisions are delivered after hearing the cases, and the eviction orders are issued accordingly.

Along with this, Enforcement Squads have been formed in all three Zonal Offices of the civic body, and daily eviction operations are being carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Odisha Municipal Corporation Act, 2003.

Illegal occupants are being identified through the Bhubaneswar Land Use Intelligence System (BLUIS), and appropriate legal action is being initiated against them.

To prevent re-encroachment and ensure proper protection of freed government land, the BDA is constructing boundary walls around such land parcels, putting up signboards with designated names, and handing over the protected government land to the departments concerned.