Odisha Government Prepares New Land Management Legislation
The Odisha government is moving forward with plans to introduce a new land management law during the forthcoming session of the state assembly. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari made this announcement on Monday in Bhubaneswar.
Replacing Multiple Archaic Acts
The proposed legislation, called the Odisha Government Land Management Act, aims to replace several existing revenue statutes that currently govern land administration. Minister Pujari explained that the new law will consolidate overlapping and outdated regulations into a single, comprehensive framework.
Key existing laws that will be merged include:
- The Odisha Prevention of Land Encroachment Act, 1972
- The Odisha Government Land Settlement Act, 1962
Pujari emphasized that many current land laws date back to the pre-British era and have created unnecessary complexity in land administration. "All laws need timely updating," the minister stated. "Many revenue laws are very old and are being studied so that they can be made relevant to present-day requirements."
Consultative Process and Next Steps
The draft legislation has been prepared following extensive consultations with various stakeholders. Experts, senior revenue officials, and district collectors all contributed to the development of the proposed act.
Senior officers from both the revenue and law departments discussed the draft on Monday. The government plans to finalize the document soon and present it to the minister for in-principle approval.
The implementation process will follow these steps:
- Finalize the draft legislation
- Obtain ministerial approval
- Upload the draft on the revenue department's website for public feedback
- Review public comments for approximately one month
- Send the finalized bill to the cabinet
- Table the legislation in the state assembly
Expected Benefits of the New Legislation
The proposed Odisha Government Land Management Act aims to achieve several important objectives for land administration in the state. According to Minister Pujari, the new law will simplify processes that have become unnecessarily complicated over time.
The key expected benefits include:
- Simplification of land administration procedures
- Removal of legal ambiguities in existing statutes
- Faster land settlement processes
- More transparent and efficient systems
- People-friendly approaches to land management
The minister explained that the current complexity stems from outdated laws scattered across multiple statutes. The new comprehensive legislation aims to address these issues directly, creating a more streamlined approach to land management throughout Odisha.
