BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) granted plan approvals to 2,858 buildings and plotted schemes within the city between 2015 and 2023 without having the power to do so, a response to an RTI query has revealed.
According to regulations, the authority for plan approvals was transferred to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2015 within the civic body’s jurisdiction, yet BDA persisted in issuing approvals, violating established protocols.
Real estate activists and experts have raised concerns about the legitimacy of the structures and plotted schemes that received plan approvals from BDA. They claimed that in the event of legal complications, neither BDA nor BMC could assume accountability.
“As per the 12th Schedule of the 74th constitutional amendment, such authority has been vested upon municipalities. In Odisha, it was transferred to municipalities in 2015, but in Bhubaneswar, BDA continues to issue plan approvals,” real estate specialist Bimalendu Pradhan said.
Pradhan, who submitted the RTI query to BDA enquiring about buildings and plotting schemes approved between 2015 and 2023, discovered that even certain housing projects of the development authority within BMC jurisdiction obtained approvals.
“This is a sheer violation. If BDA lacks authority, they should have ceased operations and transferred responsibilities to the appropriate body. BMC’s position is also questionable as they failed to assume their rightful authority,” Dipansu Hota, a homebuyer of a BDA project, said.
Sources said that during the period, several significant govt and private projects also received BDA approval, including the four affordable housing projects and adjacent public-private partnership projects in Bhubaneswar.
“This constitutes a complete violation. Numerous major and minor projects will face consequences due to the practice. The govt should provide an explanation,” said Rohan Patra, a Patrapada resident.
BDA vice-chairman, N Thirumala Naik, said the authority for plan approval has been transferred to BMC. “We have complied with regulations and completed the authority transfer to the BMC. We are just assisting them now in plan approval,” he said.
The city is already facing the problem of illegal structures, according to answers given by the minister concerned in the past assembly sessions. The revelation made by BDA in the RTI reply is likely to complicate the scenario further.
