Judgment

S.B. Sinha, J.—Leave granted in all the SLPs.

2. The Appellants herein carry on business in milk. They have admittedly encroached upon government lands in the town of Bhubaneswar. The State of Orissa intended to evict them. The Chief Minister of the State of Orissa evolved a scheme allegedly for their rehabilitation. The villages selected for carrying out such rehabilitation job were not found to be suitable therefor. As they are sought to be evicted without offering them alternative plots, the Appellants filed writ petitions before the Orissa High Court. In the writ petitions it was inter alia averred :

“4. That since most of these Petitioners belong to the poorer strata of the society, their rehabilitation have engaged attention of the authorities at the highest level since the year 1987. In a meeting held on 1.6.87 under the Chairman ship of the Chief Secretary, it was decided that sites for such rehabilitation of Gowalas operating within Bhubaneswar city shall be selected by a committee consisting of Director of Veterinary Services; representatives of OMFED; A.D.M., Bhubaneswar; S.D.O., Bhubaneswar and representative of Bhubaneswar Development Authority. The minutes of th