Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government in Department of Revenue and Disaster Management has directed all District Collectors to conduct a time-bound, comprehensive review of leased-out and alienated government land across the state. The directive targets properties that have remained unutilized for over three years or are being used for unauthorized purposes.
Additional Chief Secretary Revenue & Disaster Management, Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee on September 22, 2026, directed the District Magistrates to initiate legal action to recover public land that is either lying idle or violating allotment conditions. The initiative encompasses cases involving advance possession, permissive possession, lease, and alienation granted to government departments, institutions, corporations, and individuals.
Under the guidelines, field-level revenue authorities will conduct physical inspections. Advance possession cases must undergo expeditious field verification, with unauthorized or unused holdings reverted back to the state government. For leased land left unutilized for more than three years, officials are instructed to initiate formal resumption proceedings under Section 3-B of the OGLS Act, 1962, ensuring adherence to natural justice principles. Land alienated to government departments that is no longer required must be formally relinquished back to the Revenue Department.
The order also addresses partial utilization, requiring officials to review whether retaining unutilized portions of land is justified. Encroachments on leased properties must be identified and removed immediately.
District Collectors are required to submit online Monthly Progress Reports by the 5th of every month. The government emphasized that field officials must carry out these statutory duties without succumbing to external pressure, warning that any collusion with corrupt elements will result in disciplinary and criminal action.