# Encroachers Build Illegal Colony on Kokritarai Dam Land in Raigarh, Over 120 Issued Notices

> More than 10 acres of land acquired in 1978 for the Kokritarai reservoir in Raigarh has been carved into illegal residential plots, prompting authorities to issue notices to over 120 occupants.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Chhattisgarh · **Published:** 2026-10-01 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/chhattisgarh/raigarh-men-kokritarai-reservoir-ke-kaichamenta-kshetra-para-avaidha-koloniyon-ka-nirmana-120-kabjadhariyon-ko-notisa-40891 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Raigarh, Kokritarai Reservoir, Illegal Encroachment, Water Resources Department, Land Mafia, Chhattisgarh News, Irrigation Crisis

A major land grab has surfaced in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, where unauthorized residential colonies have been erected directly over the catchment and submergence areas of the Kokritarai reservoir. Land that was acquired by the state government nearly 48 years ago for critical water conservation infrastructure is now occupied by concrete houses and multi-story structures. A ground assessment indicates that illegal plotting and construction have sprawled across more than 10 acres of this public reservoir land.

## Land Acquired from 108 Farmers in 1978 Remained Unregistered
The origins of the dispute date back nearly half a century to the formal land acquisition for the irrigation project. Official records show that in 1978, the government acquired 72.455 hectares of land from a total of 108 farmers across four villages: Kokritarai, Chiraipani, Uchhabhitthi, and Parsada. However, due to administrative lapses spanning several decades, the majority of these acquired land parcels were never formally transferred to the Water Resources Department in the revenue records. Land cartels capitalized on this administrative vacuum and documentation gap, slicing up government-held reservoir land into small plots for public sale.

## Plots Sold at Rs 2 Lakh per Decimal Fuel Rapid Concrete Influx
The ground scenario reveals a systematically planned unauthorized township emerging across the water body's catchment basin. While dozens of residential units are fully built and occupied, active construction continues across multiple adjacent parcels. Exploiting rising housing demand, property dealers sold smaller parcels to individual buyers at rates climbing up to Rs 2 lakh per decimal. This rapid real estate expansion has steadily eaten away at the reservoir's natural drainage basin and holding capacity.

## Irrigation Lifeline for Dozens of Downstream Villages at Risk
The Kokritarai reservoir serves as an active irrigation lifeline rather than a derelict structure. Water from this water body directly irrigates agricultural fields across numerous surrounding settlements, including Uchhabhitthi, Kiritmal, Charbhatha, and Pandripani. Local farmers depend heavily on the reservoir to sustain crops through the dry summer months following the monsoon season. The proliferation of unauthorized concrete settlements directly threatens the water supply and long-term agricultural viability of these rural communities.

## Water Resources Department Submits Detailed Report as Revenue Court Takes Up Case
With public scrutiny mounting over the unchecked encroachment, authorities have initiated legal proceedings. Water Resources Department official Homesh Nayak stated that an exhaustive report detailing the extent of illegal plotting and unauthorized land occupation has been compiled and submitted to senior officials. Strict legal notices have already been served to more than 120 individuals identified as illegal occupants. The entire matter is currently under active review at the tehsil level, where statutory proceedings will determine subsequent enforcement actions.

## What this means for you
Homebuyers who invested in the unapproved reservoir basin face potential eviction and demolition, while downstream farmers face an impending irrigation crisis.

- **Across India:** Delays in updating land revenue titles after public acquisitions expose critical water bodies nationwide to fraudulent real estate schemes. Property buyers who bypass exhaustive land title verification face severe risks of asset forfeiture and legal disputes.
- **In Raigarh:** Over 120 residents who constructed dwellings on the Kokritarai reservoir site face pending administrative action and possible demolition from the tehsil court. Farmers in Uchhabhitthi, Kiritmal, Charbhatha, and Pandripani face severe irrigation shortages during the upcoming dry summer months.
- **For Property Buyers:** Individuals who paid up to Rs 2 lakh per decimal for unapproved plots risk losing their entire financial investment. Any ongoing unauthorized construction and land transactions within the 10-acre parcel are likely to be halted immediately by authorities.
- **Impact on Farming:** The physical reduction of the reservoir's catchment basin impairs long-term water storage capacity. Reduced water retention will directly decrease agricultural yields across dozens of nearby villages that rely exclusively on this reservoir.

## Why this happened
A decades-long administrative delay in transferring acquired land records to the irrigation department enabled land cartels to exploit documentation loopholes.

- **Failure to Update Land Records:** Despite acquiring 72.455 hectares of land from 108 farmers in 1978, the state machinery failed to enter the parcels under the Water Resources Department's title. This left the revenue records technically vulnerable to manipulation and unauthorized transactions.
- **Exploitation by Land Cartels:** Unscrupulous developers took advantage of the clerical gap to subdivide submergence zones into residential plots. They marketed these unauthorized parcels to private buyers at market rates without municipal sanctions or department approvals.
- **Delayed Administrative Intervention:** Construction expanded across more than 10 acres over several years without immediate interdepartmental intervention. Only after concrete structures proliferated did the irrigation authorities document the encroachment and alert revenue officials.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Which reservoir and district are at the center of this controversy?
The issue involves the catchment and submergence area of the Kokritarai reservoir in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh.

### 2. How much reservoir land has been encroached upon?
More than 10 acres of acquired reservoir land currently holds unauthorized houses and residential plots.

### 3. When was the reservoir land acquired and from whom?
A total of 72.455 hectares of land was acquired in 1978 from 108 farmers across Kokritarai, Chiraipani, Uchhabhitthi, and Parsada villages.

### 4. At what price were the illegal plots being sold?
Unauthorized residential plots were sold to individual buyers at rates of up to Rs 2 lakh per decimal.

### 5. Which villages depend on the Kokritarai reservoir for farming?
Agricultural lands in Uchhabhitthi, Kiritmal, Charbhatha, Pandripani, and dozens of surrounding villages rely on this reservoir for irrigation.

### 6. What administrative steps have been taken so far?
The Water Resources Department submitted an extensive report and issued legal notices to over 120 occupants, with proceedings underway at the tehsil level.

---
_TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._