Bhubaneswar: Encroachments will be cleared by bulldozing illegal constructions on government lands, Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Suresh Kumar Pujari said mediapersons today.

“What I have seen in the past 75 years, bulldozer is usually razed on small thatched (Kutcha) houses of poor people residing in slums and other places. Poor people constructing such houses on patches of two to four decimals of land are, basically, not encroachers. On the contrary, several influential people are there who have illegally constructed palatial buildings on government lands,” the Minister stated.

“Law was ‘unable’ to reach out to the influential people and industrial houses. They were previously thinking that Independence in the country was achieved to safeguard their interests. Now, they will feel that Independence was achieved for poor people. However, the countdown has already begun and no one will be spared. Actions will be initiated against one and all,” Minister Pujari asserted.

Worth mentioning, the Revenue Minister was on tour to Sambalpur to attend a programme of his political party titled ‘Maa Paen Gachha Tie’. He expressed his views when he was questioned by the media.

Earlier on July 6, the Revenue & Disaster Management department emphasised optimal management of land resources and raised its concerns on large-scale encroachments, in a high-level meeting.