Bhubaneswar: A dispute over government land in Ward 37 of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) area continues to escalate, with residents questioning why the civic body allowed a private builder to use the land for parking and why the builder was permitted to demolish a government boundary wall.
Local corporator Bandita Pal and residents have been demanding that the land be used exclusively for government offices.
Pal has been staging a sit-in for 11 days and has been on a hunger strike for the past four days.
However, residents allege that the BMC has failed to take concrete action beyond issuing notices to the builder.
Despite the civic body directing the builder on September 29 to reconstruct the demolished boundary wall, no work has begun so far.
This has raised questions over whether the builder is deliberately disregarding BMC orders or enjoying tacit support from officials.
Residents have also expressed anger over the BMC’s decision to temporarily suspend, rather than cancel, the allotment granted to the builder for parking on the government land.
They have questioned the reasons behind the civic body’s alleged preferential treatment of the builder.
Protesting the inaction, residents had also burnt an effigy of the mayor. Neither the mayor nor any BMC official has visited the hunger-strike site or publicly addressed the concerns raised by the corporator and residents, they alleged.
A doctor from Capital Hospital examined Pal’s health condition after 10 days, according to the report. The dispute dates back to 2022, when the builder approached the Orissa High Court seeking permission to use the land for parking.
The court reportedly said the General Administration (GA) department, which owns the land, should take a decision on the matter.
Subsequently, the GA department rejected the builder’s request and fenced off the land for government use.
However, on September 25, the boundary wall was allegedly demolished by the builder.
When Pal raised the issue, she was informed that the BMC had granted permission to use the site for parking.
The permission has triggered questions over how the civic body could allow a private builder to use government land for parking without inviting a tender.
After the matter was brought to the attention of the BMC commissioner, a show-cause notice was issued to the builder, directing him to respond within 24 hours.
The civic authorities have since issued another notice but are yet to take further action, residents alleged.
The continued delay has intensified public resentment, with residents demanding the cancellation of the parking allotment and the use of the land for government purposes.