Dedicated Land Cell to Safeguard Lord Jagannath’s Properties

Bhubaneswar: Emphasising that Lord Shree Jagannath is the supreme spiritual landlord of the Odia community, Revenue Secretary Dr. Arabinda Padhee on Thursday called for collective responsibility to safeguard all landed properties belonging to the deity. He was addressing a high-level review meeting convened at Lok Seva Bhavan to strengthen the protection, restoration and management of Mahaprabhu’s land assets across the state.

Chaired by the Revenue Secretary, the meeting reviewed the status of landed properties registered in the name of Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu Bije, Puri, under the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). Dr. Padhee directed officials to ensure strict and time-bound implementation of all orders and judgments of the Supreme Court and the Orissa High Court related to the protection and recovery of temple lands.

Highlighting the need for systematic correction of land records (Record-of-Rights), he instructed officials to expedite the updation of records for all properties belonging to Mahaprabhu and ensure swift disposal of pending legal cases. The meeting also deliberated on measures to evict illegal encroachments, particularly from lands under SJTA in various tahasils of Khordha district and along National and State Highways.

To ensure continuous monitoring, it was decided that a dedicated review meeting on the protection of Mahaprabhu’s landed properties would be held on the first Wednesday of every month under the chairmanship of the Khordha Collector.

Further strengthening institutional mechanisms, Dr. Padhee announced the establishment of a dedicated Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu Land Cell within the Revenue Department to oversee protection, management and legal coordination related to temple lands. He also underlined that state-level review meetings under his direct supervision, along with district-level reviews, would be conducted regularly to ensure effective implementation.

The meeting was attended by Khordha Collector Amrit Ruturaj, senior SJTA officer Debabrata Sahu, senior officers of the Land Reforms Branch of the Revenue Department, and Sub-Collectors and Tahasildars of Khordha district.