Bhubaneswar, July 8 -- Hundreds of families across 11 villages in Odisha's Puri district continue to face uncertainty over their ancestral land more than four decades after the Konark Balukhand Sanctuary was declared a protected area.

According to the residents, three generations faced the consequences of an unresolved land dispute, with restrictions on their Sthitiban land leaving them unable to secure ownership rights or change the land classification.

The affected families claim the restrictions severely impacted their livelihoods. They are unable to sell, mortgage, or fully utilise their ancestral land due to the restrictions. The lack of proper land records also made it difficult to obtain caste and income certificates, affecting a...