Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is taking concrete steps to identify and reclaim lands belonging to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) inside Odisha and other states.
The move aims at strengthening the temple’s asset base and create a substantial corpus fund. All landed property will be brought under the official administrative control through a new uniform settlement policy.
A high-level meeting chaired by Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan was held on Thursday to discuss the proposed framework for settlement and recovery of landed properties of Lord Jagannath. The meeting, was attended by the Chairman of the Law Commission, senior officials of the department and other top administrative officers.
The Minister said that the government has taken a major policy decision to reclaim and regulate the immovable properties and land assets belonging to Lord Jagannath. However, people occupying land of Jagannath Temple for a long period may be granted settlement rights under the proposed policy.
The move could help create a substantial corpus fund for the temple administration while also resolving long-pending land disputes, officials said.
The meeting discussed the need to amend the existing uniform settlement policy to facilitate the recovery and management of all immovable properties associated with Lord Jagannath.
As per official estimates, Lord Jagannath owns nearly 36,000 acres of land, of which around 25 to 30 per cent has reportedly remained under long-term occupation by private individuals.
The minister said the proposal discussed during the meeting would be implemented after receiving approval from Chief Minister and the state Cabinet.
