# From Forests to the Shoreline: Rethinking Land Governance at Odisha Day, 10th ILDC, Bhubaneswar **URL:** https://grove.rainmatter.org/t/from-forests-to-the-shoreline-rethinking-land-governance-at-odisha-day-10th-ildc-bhubaneswar/5307 **Category:** Events **Created:** [October 23, 2026, 5:46am UTC](https://grove.rainmatter.org/t/from-forests-to-the-shoreline-rethinking-land-governance-at-odisha-day-10th-ildc-bhubaneswar/5307 "2026-10-23T05:46:46Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![Common\_Ground](https://grove.rainmatter.org/user_avatar/grove.rainmatter.org/common_ground/32/4643_2.png) [@Common\_Ground](https://grove.rainmatter.org/u/Common_Ground) #### Post date: [October 23, 2026, 5:46am UTC](https://grove.rainmatter.org/t/from-forests-to-the-shoreline-rethinking-land-governance-at-odisha-day-10th-ildc-bhubaneswar/5307/1 "2026-10-23T05:46:46Z")
On 14 October, Odisha Day, the regional workshop of the 10th India Land and Development Conference (ILDC), brought policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and community leaders together at the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) campus, Bhubaneswar, to discuss land, forest, and commons governance in the state. The Revenue and Disaster Management Department of the Government of Odisha was the State Partner for the dialogue, supported by Landstack as the ILDC secretariat. The day’s technical sessions covered land rights, 20 years of the Forest Rights Act, urban liveability, community-led forest governance, and coastal commons. ![image](https://groveassets.rainmatter.org/original/2X/1/15b9b990640dcfdbd6f255a42a7eedeb280bf9ab.jpeg) Among the recommendations that came out of the day were recognising women as independent farmers, fast-tracking pending Forest Rights Act claims, preparing a Common Land Atlas and recording common lands in Panchayat Asset Registers and GPDPs, and creating a GO–NGO coordination platform for land governance. The Government of Odisha’s response to the recommendations was encouraging. It announced a proposed Land Management Act and a proposed Women’s Land Rights Cell, and said it would prioritise one district each year to give land to every eligible landless household. It also announced the correction of 1.01 crore land record khatas, reform of outdated revenue laws, and legislation on leasing, tenancy and sharecropping. In the valedictory session, the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister welcomed the recommendations and spoke of the need for closer coordination between government and NGOs. **Coastal commons: issues, challenges, and way forward** ![image](https://groveassets.rainmatter.org/original/2X/0/01497dceb7e4602a8b1874978e7278938011dfea.jpeg) Common Ground co-facilitated Session 3 of the day, on coastal commons, with partners Centre for Research and Community Action and Socratus Foundation for Collective Wisdom. Community leaders and representatives from Chilika, Kendrapada, and Podampetta, among others, participated in the discussion. The session began with a simple point: any conversation on land rights and commons in Odisha is incomplete without the coast. Coastal commons come under many overlapping rules, such as the Coastal Regulation Zone and the tide lines. This makes it hard for communities to understand and claim their rights. Participants shared experiences from Chilika, Ansupa, the Mahanadi delta, Bhitarkanika, Rushikulya and Podampetta. The main concerns were: - Land and space: fishing communities need space for boats and nets, but these are often left out of commons mapping. Problems with land records and K-form pattas leave many without secure tenure. - Fishing restrictions: the turtle season, the monsoon ban and Bhitarkanika rules together cut the days available to fish. In Chilika, participants also raised industrial fishing, dolphin habitat restrictions and the limited voice of fishers in decisions. - Erosion: in Podampetta, families displaced by erosion and Cyclone Phailin still lack clear land titles and other ways to earn a living. The participants suggested that erosion be treated as a land-rights and livelihood issue, not only a disaster one. - Pollution and migration: industrial emissions, saline water, polluted rivers and aquaculture hurt farming and fishing, and many people migrate for work. Women in fish processing and marketing are often left out of compensation. - Compensation: participants discussed losses during cyclones and fishing bans, and suggested weather-triggered insurance, similar to farm insurances. They also stressed that coastal communities are not all the same, so responses must fit each place. The session recommended: - A dedicated legal framework for coastal commons and traditional fishers, learning from the Forest Rights Act. - Amending the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, to cover erosion-affected villages, and placing communities at the centre of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) mapping. - Recognising customary access to boat-landing sites, fishing grounds, and intertidal spaces, through mapping with Gram Sabhas. - Updated surveys of Chilika and other wetlands, and a stronger voice for fisherfolk, including fisherwomen, in the Chilika Development Authority. - Compensation and insurance for fishing-related losses, and a landscape approach to pollution that links rivers, wetlands, estuaries, and the sea. - Livelihood options such as seaweed and crab-related work, designed with communities. The session closed with the message that coastal conservation and livelihoods must go together. Community rights, ecological protection, and livelihood resilience need to be pursued as one.