BHUBANESWAR: Revenue and Disaster Management minister Suresh Pujari on Monday said the state government is set to introduce a Bill in the upcoming budget session of the Assembly to amend the Odisha Government Land Settlement Act, 1962, for simplifying and consolidating the complex revenue laws.
The minister said over the years, accumulation of multiple revenue laws, amendments and allied laws has made land administration cumbersome and time-consuming, causing difficulties for both citizens and officials.
“Several revenue laws and provisions are currently in force, which have complicated the land settlement process. The proposed amendment Bill aims to consolidate and simplify these provisions under the Odisha Government Land Settlement Act, 1962,” Pujari told mediapersons at Puri after offering prayers at Shree Jagannath temple.
According to Pujari, the proposed legislation will streamline procedures related to land settlement, record management and government land administration, making the system more transparent and citizen-friendly. The amendment is expected to remove overlapping provisions, reduce legal ambiguities and ensure faster disposal of land-related cases.
After returning from Puri, Pujari sat down to give a final touch to the draft Bill at a high-level meeting in Lok Seva Bhawan here. Although the full text of the draft Bill is yet to be ascertained, government sources indicated it will align with ongoing administrative reforms intended to modernise land governance under Odisha’s e-governance and ease-of-doing-business initiatives.
A similar effort to rationalise land classifications - reducing many traditional kisams (land types) and satwas (occupancy categories) into far fewer standard categories - has already been undertaken in recent years to address confusion and administrative bottlenecks.
Responding to queries on land issues in Puri town, the Revenue minister said the lion’s share of the land within Puri is primarily administered by the Puri Municipal Corporation, which manages civic amenities and infrastructure, though specific land matters, especially regarding leases and settlement, involve collaboration with the Puri collector and Revenue department.
He said a large number of people from outside the state have taken land including temple properties in the holy town either on lease or on purchase. “The situation is Puri is very complex so far as land issues are concerned. We have decided to take all the stakeholders on board and find out a solution acceptable to all,” Pujari said.