Cuttack: Orissa High Court has ordered for maintenance of status quo over the land with dwelling houses acquired by the state government at Naharkanta in Balianta police station limits to facilitate a national highway project.

The project involved upgrading the four-lane NH-16 from Chandikhole to Bhuban-eswar via Cuttack to six lanes for an estimated Rs 1,047 crore.

The interim order was issued on petitions by Mrutyunjaya Bhoi and 15 other scheduled caste land oustees. They had sought intervention against eviction from their dwelling houses by the state without rehabilitation.

The petitioners, permanent residents of Naharkanta, alleged that the government had allotted land to them at Rudrapur in Khurda district for rehabilitation. However, upon visiting it, they found that a part of it had already been allotted for an office complex of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

According to the petition, the state authorities had on January 10 announced to vacate their dwelling houses by January 12 or face demolition.

"The court took up the matter on Friday and passed the interim order while posting it to February 20," petitioner counsel Shivsankar Mohanty said on Sunday.

In the January 12 order, the division bench of Justice S.C. Parija and Justice D. Dash said: "As an interim measure, status quo as on date with regard to possession of the petitioners over the acquired land in question shall be maintained till next date."

The court issued notices to the state authorities expecting them to inform it about the steps been taken to rehabilitate the petitioners. The petitioners have sought the court's direction for rehabilitation under the Vasundhara Scheme that provides 10 decimals to each homestead-less families in rural areas.