Over 2,700 Ganjam, Jharsuguda families to get land rights

In a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday, a significant decision was reached to grant land rights documents to over 2,700 families in Jharsuguda and Ganjam districts, who were impacted by the Hirakud and Sorada reservoir projects, respectively. The government's plan entails the distribution of record of rights for a total of 3,231 acres of agricultural and homestead land. This initiative aims to provide land rights to 1,749 families hailing from 19 villages in Jharsuguda district, commencing in December. These families had been displaced due to the Hirakud project, which was initiated in the 1950s.Similarly, the government has also made the decision to bestow land rights upon more than 1,300 acres of land to approximately 1,000 families residing in the Sorada block of Ganjam, starting from October. These families trace their displacement back to the Sorada reservoir project, which dates back to the British era in 1896. Among them, 883 families residing in 17 villages will be granted rights to homestead land, while 168 families in these villages will receive rights over agricultural land.