Post News Network
Cuttack, May 9: Orissa High Court has asked the commissioner-cum-secretary, state housing and urban development (H&UD) department, and the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to file a reply within a week to the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Subash Mohapatra on illegal construction of buildings in the capital.
The PIL states that BDA has permitted the constructions of more than 1,000 high-rise buildings and apartments in premier locations of the state capital and nearby areas without proper probe and inspection.
The petitioner had written to the commissioner-cum-secretary, state (H&UD) department and BDA March 23, 2015, bringing to their notice that several building plans have been approved by BDA in violation of the rules and regulations. The petitioner also alleged that some BDA officers were complicit in this.
Despite directions from competent authorities to demolish the unauthorised constructions, no concrete step has been taken and “the role of some of the officers working in the BDA cannot be ruled out”, states the petition. The beneficiaries who have unauthorisedly constructed the high-rise buildings are being supported by the state leaders and are applying delay tactics and are not properly responding to the various litigations pending in different forums. This has ultimately led to a mockery of the rule of law, the petition states.
A total of 423 apartments and high-rises have been constructed by violating provisions of the Orissa Development Authorities Act, 1982, the petition states.
