Bhubaneswar: State Law, Works and Excise Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan Thursday said people residing on lands belonging to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Puri for a long time would be provided with ownership rights through a special land settlement process.
The minister said this while chairing a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan here on management of Srimandir lands. Harichandan stated that the process would help longterm occupants in obtaining legal rights to the land they occupy, while ensuring that revenue from encroached properties benefits Lord Jagannath and the temple administration.
Lord Jagannath owns thousands of acres of land across Odisha. A large portion of these lands has reportedly been occupied for decades by servitors (sevayats), Nijogs, maths and non-servitors who have established residential settlements on the properties over the years. Officials present at the meeting also discussed amendments to Uniform Settlement Policy, 2003, for proper settlement and regularisation of such lands.
The proposed amendments aim to give legal recognition to long-time occupants while protecting the interests of the Srimandir. The meeting also discussed steps to identify illegal encroachments on the temple land. “If needed, such lands may be auctioned to ensure transparency and increase revenue for the temple fund,” said an official.
PNN