The Civil Society of Athagarh demanded that the local administration take possession of the valuable Government and gochar lands from the clutch of some influential persons which have occupied them illegally for last many years.
In Athagarh NAC area, more than five acres of land remained in the clutches of some journalists, political touts and businessmen and the administration is finding it tough to evict them. In several cases, even the Orissa High Court has given direction to the administration to evict the persons who have grabbed some Government roads but the later is under pressure from the local politicians not to go ahead.
The town planning system is a great failure here as most of the Government lands have been encroached leaving no room to develop market complex, parking zones, provision of basic amenities for the passersby etc. Similarly, in the rural areas of Athagarh, several political touts have illegally occupied hundreds of acres of Government and gochar lands where they spread their business.
Recently, over 100 villagers of Kumarpur village under Gurudijhatia gram panchayat alleged before the Athagarh Tehsildar that one Ranjan Acharya of the same village has illegally occupied over 34 acres of gochar lands where he has developed cashew plants and demanded that the encroacher be evicted for the grazing of the cattle.
Civil Society president Dinesh Das and secretary Sailendra Pattnaik demanded the local administration to make all the Government and gochar lands encroachment-free in Athagarh without further dilly-dallying.