Bhubaneswar: The govt on Monday directed district administrations to accord top priority to the protection and management of Lord Jagannath’s landed properties, asking officials to ensure expeditious disposal of thousands of pending revenue cases.The directive follows the recent restoration of over 57 acres of temple land in Jatni, Khurda district, after resolution of a long‑standing dispute. According to temple records, Lord Jagannath holds around 60,426.943 acres across 24 districts of Odisha, while another 395.252 acres are spread over six states — West Bengal (322.930 acres), Maharashtra (28.21 acres), Madhya Pradesh (25.11 acres), Andhra Pradesh (17.02 acres), Chhattisgarh (1.7 acres) and Bihar (0.27 acres).Additional chief secretary of the revenue and disaster management department, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, underscored the urgency of safeguarding these lands. “District administrations shall ensure all necessary measures for effective protection and preservation of the properties of Lord Shree Jagannath (Bije Puri), so as to safeguard the interests of the deity and minimise avoidable litigation,” his order stated.According to Padhee, who is chief administrator of the Jagannath temple administration, “revenue inspectors and amins will be deployed to identify, verify and monitor temple lands to prevent encroachment, fraudulent claims or unauthorised occupation.”
