Officials during the eviction drive to retrieve the encroached land at Jatni. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 8: Officials of the Khurda district administration along with the revenue divisional commissioner today started an eviction drive at Jatni to free lands belonging to the Puri Jagannath temple.

Eviction drive was carried out on around 270 acres today.

Sources said around 3,000 acres, including 1,100 acres at Jatni, belonging to Lord Jagannath, was under encroachment in Khurda district.

A squad consisting of revenue divisional commissioner Arvind Padhee, revenue and transport officials and police of Khurda district took part in the drive.

The squad demolished around six houses, which had been erected on the land for the past five years. One stone-crushing unit and a rice mill, which were operating on the land, were also demolished.

After demolishing the boundary walls on and around the land, the district administration put up red flags there.

The area had many illegal stone quarries, which had been in operation since long. Illegal stone extraction has left many patches, which were being dug up, to more than 50ft deep.

Sources in the district administration said a number of influential people had encroached on the lands and some patches had already been sold through plotting scheme. “We found some housing societies in operation on the encroached lands. Many people have been duped by the land mafias, who sold these lands to them,” said a senior revenue official present on the spot.

The officials also seized six vehicles, including a JCB machine and a truck, which were being used in stone quarry. “Large chunk of land belonging to the temple was under illegal encroachment. The drive will continue till all lands belonging to the Lord becomes encroachment free,” said Padhee.

In September last year, the Jagannath temple administration had proposed to sale huge vacant lands at Jatani. “We will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Bhubaneswar Development Authority to sell the lands through plotting scheme,” said Padhee, who is also the chief administrator of the temple.