Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is planning to bring lands belonging to Lord Jagannath, located both within and outside the state, under official administrative control through a new uniform settlement policy.

A high-level meeting chaired by Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan was held on Thursday to discuss the proposed framework for settlement and recovery of landed properties of Lord Jagannath.

The meeting, held at the Law Department conference hall, was attended by the Chairman of the Law Commission, senior officials of the Law Department and other top administrative officers.

Long-term occupants may get settlement rights on temple land

According to the minister, the government has taken a major policy decision to reclaim and regulate the immovable properties and land assets belonging to Lord Jagannath. However, people who have been residing on Jagannath temple land for a long period may be granted settlement rights under the proposed policy.

The government believes the move could help create a substantial corpus fund for the temple administration while also resolving long-pending land disputes.

Odisha to bring temple lands under administrative control

Harichandan said discussions were held regarding the need to amend the existing uniform settlement policy to facilitate the recovery and management of all immovable properties associated with Lord Jagannath.

Official estimates suggest that Lord Jagannath owns nearly 36,000 acres of land, of which around 25 to 30 per cent has reportedly remained under long-term occupation by private individuals.

The minister said the proposal discussed during the meeting would be implemented after receiving approval from Chief Minister and the state Cabinet.

The proposed policy is expected to streamline land administration, regularise long-term occupation in eligible cases and strengthen financial resources linked to the Jagannath temple administration.