Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), July 8: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has instructed District Magistrates in Odisha to swiftly remove illegal encroachments from government lands across the state, encompassing both urban and rural areas.
Highlighting the hindrance caused by such encroachments to development and public welfare projects, the CM emphasized the immediate necessity of clearing these lands. District collectors have been mandated to safeguard government properties with appropriate fencing and prominently displayed signage following the removal of encroachments.
Earlier, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management department, Satyabrata Sahu, urged all collectors in a letter to conduct a comprehensive survey of encroachments in rural and urban areas, emphasizing adherence to existing regulations for their removal. He expressed concern over widespread encroachment during a recent high-level meeting, stressing the critical importance of effective land management and allocation for developmental purposes across various sectors of the economy.
Sahu underscored that failure to address encroachments not only impedes development activities but also results in unrealized opportunity costs associated with unused government land. He also highlighted the legal challenges stemming from such illegal occupations.
