Khurda: The district administration has failed to evict encroachers from the landed properties of various shrines even though it had received separate orders in this regard from the State Endowment Commissioner long ago.
According to sources, many influential people have encroached upon around 66 acre of land belonging to 179 shrines in Khurda district.
It is learnt that around 50 decimal land of Dadhibaman shrine at Mukundprasad has been under encroachment for the last many years. The Endowment Commissioner had directed the district administration to remove the encroachment while adjudicating a case in this regard in 2004. However, the administration is yet to comply with the order.
Similarly, some private individuals have illegally occupied 20 decimal land of Radha Ballav Dev temple at Kalapathar. In its December 17, 2003 order, the Endowment Commissioner had directed the district administration to evict the encroachers from the temple land. However, the order pushed under the carpet, sources said.
The land sharks have not spared the landed properties of Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar. Some people have encroached upon at least 600 decimal land of the 11th century shrine. Adjudicating a case in this regard in 2007, the Endowment Commissioner had directed Khurda district administration to evict the encroachers and take stern action against them. The administration has failed to implement the order, sources said.
Similarly, some people have illegally occupied around 1.82 acre land of Srimad Bhagwat Dev under Jatni tehsil in the district here. The Endowment Commissioner had directed the district administration to remove the encroachers from the temple land in June last year. However, nothing has been done to evict the encroachers.
“The administration has ignored the orders of Endowment Commissioner with regard to the encroachment of temple land. We have recently met the District Collector and raised the issue,” said Radhakrushna Samantaray, a lawyer.