Following intense student unrest and protests at the Balangir Tahasil Office over acute land shortages, the district administration has stepped in.
A five-member team led by Balangir Revenue Officer Sanjeeb Nanda and other officials arrived at Rajendra University on Wednesday to commence official land measurement and demarcation.
The team identified 8 acres of land under plot number 1206/10369 and khatian number 279 in Balangir ‘Ga’ mouza, clearing the path for the university to receive formal land titles. While the institution was previously allotted 50.4 acres, it stands to gain another 8.6 acres.
The land issue has sparked intense political debate across the district.
Originally endowed with nearly 200 acres by the Maharaja in 1944, portions of the campus land were gradually encroached upon or lost following state integration and decades of administrative neglect. Leaders from various political outfits, alongside student wings like Biju Chhatra Janata Dal and ABVP, have mounted intense pressure on authorities to reclaim the university’s historic property, prompting the ongoing revenue survey.
