PHULBANI: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Friday took out a rally in Phulbani town to protest against the Kandhamal district administration’s decision to evict families residing on government land for the last several decades.
Demanding immediate distribution of land titles (pattas) to the affected families, hundreds of party workers led by former minister Padmanabha Behera marched to the collectorate and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor, chief minister and revenue minister, to additional district magistrate (ADM) Ramesh Chandra Jena.
The agitators said the administration issued eviction notices to more than 1,100 residents who have occupied government land in Phulbani town for more than seven decades. They alleged that even houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana have been marked for demolition.
BJD leader KK Pandey claimed that while land settlement process was initiated in 1966, 2014, and between 2019 and 2022, it was never completed. As a result, only 10 per cent of the affected families have received land titles, leaving the remaining 90 per cent in a state of uncertainty.
In the memorandum, the BJD demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing eviction drive, amendments to the existing land laws to facilitate settlement of families occupying government land for long, provision of permanent pattas to all eligible residents and resumption of the ‘Jaga Mission’ activities in the region. “If the eviction notices are not withdrawn and land settlement issues not addressed, we will intensify protest across the district,” warned the BJD leaders.