BHUBANESWAR: Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has decided to develop an online platform for settlement of land-related issues between the shrine body and the public.
Currently, individuals occupying temple lands submit manual applications to SJTA for property sale or transfer. This current process, operating under the govt’s Uniform Policy-2003, is lengthy and creates difficulties for applicants.
SJTA’s chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said a dedicated website will accept applications for Jagannath temple property settlements. “We have proposed to name for the portal as www.shreesampatti.in. The URL and its features will be finalised after consultation with the temple managing committee. People need not run to the SJTA office for the work. They can check the status of their applications online,” said Padhee.
The temple administration has identified 60,426 acres of land belonging to Lord Jagannath across 24 districts in Odisha. Additionally, over 395 acres were located in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar. The 2003 Uniform Policy allows occupants to purchase or lease temple lands. Currently, though thousands of people occupy temple lands, they have no official records or patta to claim property ownership.
Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan recently stated, “After the formation of the new managing committee, the settlement of all the land belonging to Lord Jagannath will be done as per the 2003 Uniform Policy.”
The minister acknowledged illegal land occupation throughout the state, including Puri. He indicated that small land parcels would be offered at reduced rates to occupants, while larger encroached areas would be sold at market value. This initiative aims to establish a corpus fund of approximately Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 crore for the temple, Harichandan said.
In a related development, the SJTA plans to enhance its online donation platform. “We will set up a new information centre of the temple near the beach and digitise all records and books of the temple. Our grievance redressal system too will go online,” said Padhee.
