Kataka: The Odisha Board of Revenue has set aside a 1989 order of the then Commissioner of Land Records and Settlement concerning over 11 acres of land near the Konark Sun Temple in Puri district, allowing revision petitions filed by the state government over the disputed property, officials said.
The land, located in Konark mouza near the UNESCO World Heritage Site, has an estimated market value of more than Rs 110 crore, making the ruling significant for the protection of government property in the heritage-rich area.
Satyabrata Sahu, Member of the Board of Revenue, passed the order on revision petitions filed by the Puri Collector in November 2025 with the approval of the state government.
The dispute concerns land originally recorded as anabadi (uncultivated or fallow land) in old revenue records. In 1989, a portion of the land was recorded in the name of a private individual as sthitiwan (occupancy tenant) following proceedings before the then Commissioner of Land Records and Settlement.
The private claimant had reportedly asserted that the land had been granted to him through two hatapattas by the former zamindar. Long-term possession, cultivation, payment of rent and subsequent revenue records were also cited in support of the claim.
However, the state government challenged the legal basis of the settlement, including the validity of the old hatapattas, the transferor’s authority to grant the land and the circumstances under which occupancy rights were recognised. The Collector also contended that the administration had not been given an adequate opportunity to present the relevant facts during the earlier proceedings.
The Board examined the original and subsequent revenue records, the legal basis of the private claim and other issues relating to the land’s identification and ownership.
The order has directed the examination of old and current revenue records, maps, land area and boundaries, followed by necessary corrections in accordance with law. It has also called for the protection of a government road and other government or public properties existing on the site.
A local inquiry report submitted by the Gop Tahasildar regarding the existence of a government road within the larger plot was among the relevant aspects of the dispute.
The ruling assumes significance as the disputed property lies near the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984. The area is an important tourism destination, and clear land records are essential for protecting public assets and facilitating planned development.
The proceedings also underscored the distinction between possession and legal ownership, with long-term occupation, rent payments or entries in revenue records not necessarily establishing valid title in the absence of a lawful basis for the original grant.
Government counsel Siddhartha Shankar Das appeared and argued on behalf of the state. The Additional Sub-Collector (Settlement), Puri, the Gop Tahasildar and the Additional Tahasildar of Gop also played roles in the proceedings.
