Bhubaneswar: 191 apartments and buildings to be demolished

Bhubaneswar: A total of 191 apartments and buildings constructed illegally in Bhubaneswar will be demolished, Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra informed on Tuesday.

Housing and Urban Development Minister informed this in the Odisha Assembly while replying to a question by BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain.

Mohapatra said 491 cases have been registered against illegally constructed apartments/ buildings under the jurisdiction of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA).

Of these, demolition orders have been issued in 191 cases, while 63 cases have been dropped. As of now, 237 cases are sub-judice, he said.

Similarly, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has registered 1,444 cases against unauthorised constructions, with 451 cases already resolved and 993 cases are pending, the Minister said.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also registered 1,444 cases against unauthorised constructions. Of these, 451 cases have already been resolved while 993 cases pending, the Minister said.

Earlier, Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das said the BMC would demolish unauthorised apartments in Bhubaneswar if the state government provided compensation in this regard.

Many builders have sold the plots and fled leaving the BMC with limited control over these developments. These constructions were initially under the jurisdiction of panchayats but have now come under the BMC’s control.

Numerous natural water bodies have been encroached upon, leading to severe drainage problems in the areas, the BMC Mayor said.