Indus Valley Times

By Nalini Sahu

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 11: The Odisha government has adopted a tougher posture against illegal land occupation, with Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Thursday issuing a strong warning to encroachers—especially influential individuals and groups—to vacate government land voluntarily or face stringent action, including recovery of the full eviction expenses.

During a review of departmental operations, Pujari made it clear that the state would no longer tolerate unauthorised possession of public land.

“There is still time for encroachers to return the land. If they fail to do so, eviction will be carried out, and the cost of the process will be recovered from them,” he said, instructing district authorities to take immediate corrective measures.

To bolster enforcement, all Tehsildars have been directed to prepare a comprehensive, statewide database of encroached land across all 320 tehsils. This database will identify industrial plots, revenue land, government-owned properties and other areas currently under illegal occupation—providing the government with crucial insights for better planning and administration.

The minister also underscored that the crackdown would not be indiscriminate. In a humanitarian measure, the government stated that landless poor occupying small patches of land out of necessity may be allotted up to 4 decimals. However, this provision will not apply to influential encroachers who have seized government land for personal gain or profiteering.

Reaffirming the government’s zero-tolerance policy, Pujari warned that any attempts to obstruct enforcement or disrupt land regulation activities would invite swift action.

“Ensuring the integrity of government land is vital for equitable development. Those who violate the law will have to face strict consequences,” he added.