Odisha Revenue Dept to Set Up Dedicated Land Cell for Protection of Lord Jagannath’s Properties

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Revenue Department on Thursday convened a high-level meeting to deliberate on the protection and restoration of lands belonging to Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, located at various places across the state.

The meeting was held at Lok Seva Bhavan under the chairmanship of Revenue Secretary Arabinda Kumar Padhee. According to an official statement, the primary objective was to ensure the protection and proper management of lands registered in the name of Lord Jagannath.

During the meeting, Padhee directed officials to take necessary steps for the effective implementation of all orders and judgments of the Supreme Court of India and the Orissa High Court concerning the protection and restoration of temple lands.

“Lord Shree Jagannath is regarded as the supreme spiritual landlord of our Odia community. Therefore, safeguarding all his landed properties is our collective moral responsibility,” he said.

To strengthen monitoring and management, the Revenue Secretary instructed that a dedicated ‘Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu Land Cell’ be established within the Revenue Department. The proposed cell will focus on protecting temple properties and improving coordination among concerned authorities.

He also emphasised the need to correct land records (Record-of-Rights) of all properties registered in the name of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu Bije (Lord Jagannath), Puri, through the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), and called for the expeditious disposal of pending cases.

Discussions were also held regarding the eviction of illegal encroachments from temple lands, particularly in various tahasils of Khordha district and along National and State Highways.

It was decided that a review meeting on the protection of Lord Jagannath’s landed properties will be held on the first Wednesday of every month under the chairmanship of the Collector of Khordha district.

The meeting was attended by Khordha Collector Amrit Ruturaj, senior SJTA officer Debabrata Sahu, officials of the Land Reforms Branch of the Revenue Department, as well as Sub-Collectors and Tahasildars of Khordha district.