Jeypore: At least 30 families of Bamuni village at Jeypore in Odisha’s Koraput district were forced to spend the cold winter night under the open sky after a demolition drive flattened their houses on Tuesday.
They survived on meagre daily wages.
Men, women and children were seen sitting amid the debris, clutching whatever possessions they could save in the bulldozer action, which was carried out as a part of an anti-encroachment operation. Those affected alleged that the authorities denied them adequate time to vacate the plot and also reneged on the promise to provide them with houses before the demolition drive. “Police told us that those inhabited won’t be demolished but all houses were pulled down. We were not able to have food during the day. We could not cook even at night and were left in the open on a chilly winter night,” said Saraswati Jani.
The incident has triggered widespread anger, with many questioning the timing of the operation and lack of adequate rehabilitation measures.
Jeypore Tehsildar Sabyasachi Jena, however, justified the move saying the administration has acted on court orders of illegal settlement on private land. He further stated that notices were served to the illegal occupants in November 2025 and again in January this year. “There were eight houses on 65 decimal land, which was earlier demarcated. Since they refused to vacate the land, we were forced to evict them using police,” he added.
The Tehsildar further stated that those affected can be given houses under Basundhara Scheme if eligible.
