The Orissa High Court has permitted the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to carry forward the redevelopment of Shantipalli Basti in Saheed Nagar, dismissing petitions seeking settlement rights over the land.

The ruling comes at a time when a large-scale eviction drive is also underway in Salia Sahi for the construction of a 13-km parallel road from Jayadev Vihar to Patia.

Court Says Occupation Does Not Create Land Rights

Delivering the judgment, the High Court held that ancestral occupation, even by families living in the area for three to four generations, does not translate into an enforceable right over government land, reported ET Realty.

Petitioners had argued that more than 400 families had lived in Shantipalli for decades and ha

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