BERHAMPUR: A team of officials from Gajapati district administration, which went to Anakadunguru village in Mohana block to free over 100 acre of government land from encroachers, was forced to return without any success after facing stiff protest from local residents on Friday.
As soon as the team led by Paralakhemundi sub-collector Anup Panda and three platoons of police force reached Anakadunguru for demarcation, hundreds of villagers including women stopped them and insisted the officials to leave the place.
Mohana tehsildar Chakradhar Padhi reportedly assured to provide employment to one member each of the families encroaching the government land for farming, on basis of merit. However, the villagers refused the offer and demanded 10 acre of land for each family.
Sources said 34 families of the village are using the government land to raise different crops since more than three decades. Recently, an agency has been given permission to build a resort on the land to improve local tourism.
Sub-collector Panda said the matter would be placed before the higher authorities for an amicable settlement as the government plans to develop the area into a tourism hub.