Bhubaneswar: The State Government has issued orders to demolish 191 illegal apartments and buildings constructed in Bhubaneswar city, Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra told the State Legislative Assembly on 27 August.
In a written reply to a query of senior BJD Lawmaker Ranendra Pratap Swain, the Minister said a total of 491 cases have been registered against apartments and buildings constructed illegally in the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) area.
Of which, demolition orders have been issued in 191 cases while 63 cases have been dropped and remaining 237 cases are under trial, he said.
Similarly, 1444 cases have been registered against illegal constructions of apartments and buildings under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) jurisdiction. Out of the total cases, 451 cases have been disposed of while 993 are under trial, the minister added.
He further informed that his department is taking action against the persons who have violated the law in accordance with the provisions of Odisha Urban Development Authorities Act 1982.
Few days ago, Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das had said that the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has no problem in razing illegally-constructed apartments in its jurisdiction if the State Government is willing to pay compensation for it.
Shrimati Das had said necessary steps will be taken once the BMC receives a formal directive from the government.
“We also want to rid government lands of illegal structures. However, compensation has to be paid if an apartment is demolished and BMC does not have adequate funds for it,” she had told media persons