The failure of the State Government to address the grievances of 80,000 residents of Puri town has now pushed the Bhusampati Suraksha Parishad activists to launch a 12-hour road blockade on all the major routes leading to the city on the Sunday, said outfit’s president Gokulananda Samal in a Press meet here.
The activists of the Parishad would launch a dawn- to-dusk road blockade on February 9 and would squat on the Puri-Bhubaneswar NH 203, Puri-Konark and Puri -Satpara roads from 6 am to 6 pm, Samal revealed. The leaders of the Parishad, its convener Surendranath Dash, former local legislator Umaballav Rath and Adityahruday Mishra narrated the mediapersons the situation leading to agitation.
The Parishad leaders said even after Chief Minister’s direction to the concerned officials to redress the grievances of the 80,000 families in adherence to a Supreme Court decision pertaining to ownership, sale and purchase of land, nothing visible have happened so far after elapse of six years. Notably, the residents are aggrieved over a ban imposed on sale, mortgage and plan approval by the development authority and transfer of the land by the RDC and the Puri Jagannath temple. They are in immense difficulty to carry out transactions related to land.
Since last decade, the Parishad has been demanding to scrap two circulars issued in 1991-92 of the Revenue department which empower the revenue officers to record all land having lineage to lord Jagannath in favour of the Shree Jaaagannath Temple Managing Committee and delete the marfatdar (intermediary) status from the land records.
The residents who had purchased land from mutts after obtaining necessary permission from the commissioner of endowments and the residents living since generations together were victims of this what they said illegal circular of the department. The Revenue officers went on correcting the records without giving notice to the present owners.
Former MlA Rath came down heavily on the Government circulars, saying they lead to contempt of court. The leaders of the Parishad said the Supreme Court bench comprising five members had clearly interpreted the status of the endowment of lord Jagannath and that of the mutts. But because of the two circulars, a large number of disputes have arisen and cases pending before the Supreme Court for adjudication.
The leaders urged the Chief Minister and the Government to desist from taking forcible possession of land from the residents who had constructed houses and living there after buying from the mutts with due permission from the commissioner of endowments. Samal said in 2006 following continuous agitation by the residents, the Chief Minister had appointed a committee to examine the issue and address the difficulty of the residents. The committee comprising the Chief Secretary, Advocate General, law Secretary, MlA Maheswar Mohanty, MP Pinaki Mishra and other officials had been mandated to sort out the issue. The committee even after elapse of six years was yet to file its report, the Parishad leaders lamented.