Bhubaneswar: Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari today told the State Assembly that 53,480.525 acres of government land has remained under encroachment in different places across the State.
In a written reply to a query raised by BJD legislator Arun Kumar Sahoo, the Minister said, “In accordance with the Odisha Prevention of Land Encroachment (OPLE) Act, 1972, removal of encroachment on government land is a continuous process.”
The Revenue and Disaster Management Department had issued instructions to the collectors in all 30 districts of Odisha for removal of encroachments on government land in July and September this year, he said.
As per data received from different districts, 1,08,773.832 acres of government land have been found to be encroached, of which, 55,293.307 acres of government land have been made free from encroachments, he said.
Still another 53,480.525 acres of government land is under encroachment. To remove encroachment on the remaining government land, appropriate steps are being taken at district level as per the provisions of the OPLE Act, 1972 and Rules, 1985, he added.
In the letter issued to the collectors in July this year, the then Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Revenue, had directed to make a realistic survey of encroachment of government land in both rural and urban areas, and remove the encroachments as per extant rules.
Consequent upon removal of such encroachments, the collectors were further asked to protect such government land by suitable fence and conspicuously displayed board by utilizing the funds received for the same purpose.