Odisha assembly passes bill on land rights to slum dwellers

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Land Rights to Slum Dwellers Bill, 2017, was passed in the state assembly here on Thursday.

Terming the decision as historical, housing and urban development minister Niranjan Pujari said, “With the introduction of the legislation, the slum dwellers residing in municipalities and notified area council (NAC) areas will be able to access land rights without any hassle.”

Welcoming the move, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said the new bill will go a long way in empowering the poor and the downtrodden residing in different slums.

In August, the state cabinet had given its approval to provide land rights to slum dwellers. The urban poor in slum will get land rights for residential use that is heritable, mortgageable and non-transferable. In corporate areas, limited transferable rights will be given.

Three more bills — Sales tax amendment, motor vehicle taxation amendment, agricultural produce marketing amendment bill — were also passed in the assembly.