THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, FEBRUARY 19, 2026

The Odisha government has stepped up efforts to protect land belonging to Lord Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu, with a high-level review directing officials to expedite record correction, remove encroachments and ensure strict compliance with court orders.

Chairing the meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan on Thursday, Revenue Secretary Dr. Arabinda Padhee said that the landed properties of Mahaprabhu carry deep religious and cultural significance and require vigilant protection. “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.

The meeting focused on implementing all directions issued by the Supreme Court and the Orissa High Court regarding the protection and restoration of temple land. Officials were instructed to prioritise correction of Record-of-Rights for properties registered in the name of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu Bije, Puri through the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration and to fast-track disposal of pending cases.

Discussions also centred on eviction of illegal encroachments from temple lands, particularly in various tahasils of Khordha district and along National and State Highways where instances of unauthorised occupation have been reported. The Revenue Secretary directed district-level authorities to intensify field action and maintain updated land records to prevent further encroachments.

In a structural reform, the department will establish a dedicated Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu Land Cell to strengthen monitoring, documentation and legal follow-up relating to temple properties. The cell is expected to function as a centralised mechanism for coordination between the Revenue Department, district administration and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration.

To ensure sustained oversight, it was decided that a review meeting on the protection of Mahaprabhu’s landed properties will be held on the first Wednesday of every month under the chairmanship of the Khordha Collector, while state-level reviews will continue periodically under the Revenue Secretary.

The meeting was attended by Khordha Collector Amrit Ruturaj, senior SJTA officer Debabrata Sahu, officials of the Land Reforms Branch, and Sub-Collectors and Tehsildars of Khordha district, who were tasked with accelerating ground-level implementation of the decisions.