Around 498 acres of government land in Bhubaneswar have been encroached upon, with the largest portion — 148 acres — in Jaydev Vihar, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi revealed in a written reply to the state assembly on Monday.

“To remove encroachments, a central enforcement monitoring committee (CEMC) has been constituted,” the reply stated. The information was provided in response to a question from Jatni MLA Bibhuti Bhusan Balabantaray regarding the extent of land encroachment and government measures to address it.

The government has instituted cases under the Odisha Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act. Official data shows 11,006 encroachment cases registered across 57 locations, including Chandrasekharpur, Jagamara, Dumduma, Gadakana, BJB Nagar, Kapila Prasad, Bhimpur, Baramunda, Nilakantha Nagar, Bhoi Nagar in Nayapalli, and Jaydev Vihar. Areas such as Vani Vihar, Bharatpur, Jokalandi, Haridaspur, Pahal, Sundarpada, Harihar Patna, and Bhagabanpur reported less than one acre of encroachment.

Sources estimate that prime government land could be valued at over Rs 5 billion per acre. The CEMC, comprising officials from the General Administration Department, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), frequently conducts eviction drives. While some areas see repeated encroachments, reclaimed land is used for boundary walls, government facilities, beautification, and landscaping.

Officials noted that apart from residential and commercial structures, some government land has been seized by land sharks and sold to unsuspecting buyers. Illegal establishments such as shops, garages, resthouses, cowsheds, and hotels are also removed following complaints.