Kataka: In a landmark victory, the Odisha government has secured around 62.72 acres of valuable land at Tarol village in Tangi-Choudwar tehsil under Kataka Municipal Corporation, bringing an end to 43-year protracted legal proceedings over its ownership.
The court of the Board of Revenue, in its historic verdict, rejected the ownership claims made by private individuals and directed that the entire land be retained in the government records as government property. The property is currently valued at over ₹800 crore.
As detailed in the official proceedings, the revision petition was filed under Section 38-B of the Orissa Estates Abolition Act, 1951, following an order from the Orissa High Court, and underwent extensive hearings across 26 different dates between 2022 and 2026 before the final decision was delivered.
The petitioners had based their claims on an alleged 1945 registered lease deed executed in favour of Nihal Chand Agarwal for establishing a jute mill, purportedly granted by Chandan Bilasini Dasi, the widow of former intermediary Kali Krishna Sarkar, along with subsequent settlement and consolidation records. However, the Member of the Board of Revenue ruled that Chandan Bilasini Dasi only held limited usufructuary rights under a 1905 will and lacked the authority to confer permanent or transferable rights, meaning the estate vested absolutely in the state free from encumbrances upon the abolition of intermediary estates on May 1, 1954.
Furthermore, the court emphasised that fiscal records like the Record of Rights, Jamabandi entries, and rent receipts cannot independently establish private title over public property.
Finding no procedural flaws in the previous rulings by the Sub-Collector of Sadar, Kataka, and the Additional District Magistrate of Kataka, the revision petition was dismissed. The Tehsildar of Tangi-Choudwar was instructed to retain the full disputed property within the government Khata under the classification ‘Abada Jogya Anabadi’.
“The district administration will utilise the land for various public-oriented initiatives and developmental projects in the coming days,” stated the state government.
The verdict is being seen as a significant step towards protecting government land and safeguarding public assets from unauthorised private claims.
