‘Protection of Lord’s land a moral responsibility’

Bhubaneswar: Lord Jagannath is revered as the supreme spiritual landlord of the Odia community, and protecting all his landed properties is a collective moral responsibility, said Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management department Arabinda Padhee, while chairing a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan here Thursday to review measures for safeguarding the deity’s land.

During the meeting, Padhee directed officials to take necessary steps for the effective implementation of all orders and judgments of the Supreme Court and the Orissa High Court concerning the protection and restoration of land belonging to Lord Jagannath. Padhee emphasised the need for correction of land records (Record-of-Rights) for all properties registered in the name of Lord Jagannath through the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and called for expeditious disposal of pending cases. Discussions were also held on evicting illegal encroachments from lands under the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, particularly in various tahasils of Khurda district and along national and state highways. It was decided that a review meeting on the protection of the Lord’s landed properties will be held on the first Wednesday of every month under the chairmanship of the Khurda Collector.

Further, to strengthen the protection and management of the Lord’s landed properties, Padhee directed the establishment of a dedicated Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu Land Cell within the Revenue department. He added that state-level meetings under his direct supervision, along with periodic district-level reviews, will continue to ensure effective monitoring and protection of the properties. The meeting was attended by Amrit Ruturaj, Collector of Khurda district, Debabrata Sahu of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, senior offi cials of the Revenue department’s Land Reforms Branch, and Sub-Collectors and Tahasildars of Khurda district.