Kendujhar: The Odisha High Court has served notices to the state government and local district officials in response to a writ petition related to the purported appropriation of ancestral land for the Bhadrasahi-Badabil-Nalda Road project in Kendujhar district, which allegedly occurred without appropriate acquisition procedures or compensation payments.

The petition was submitted by Prasanta Kumar Mahakud, 73, Chhatish Kumar Mahakud, 31, and Nanda Kishore Mahakud, 59, who contend that their ancestral land, recorded under Khata No. 29 in Belkundi village, was taken in 1984 for the road’s construction.

According to the petitioners, the land has been occupied by the government for over 40 years and is now part of a significant public roadway that facilitates transport, including heavy mineral traffic in the Badabil mining area. They have reported making multiple representations to the authorities since 2021.

They also assert that official communications have acknowledged the encroachment of private land within the roadway’s alignment, yet no compensation or rehabilitation assistance has been offered to them. The petitioners have contested a compensation plan that was allegedly considered under a District Mineral Foundation (DMF) initiative, arguing that compensation should be calculated according to Sections 26 to 30 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

These sections pertain to market valuation, solatium, and other statutory entitlements. The respondents in the case include the principal secretary of the Works Department of the Odisha government, the Collector and District Magistrate of Kendujhar, the Superintending Engineer of the PWD (R&B) Division in Badabil, and the Badabil tehsildar. The High Court has acknowledged the petition and has requested responses from the state government and relevant authorities, with the matter awaiting further legal proceedings.