Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Dec 19: The Taradutt panel Friday released here the list of those who have availed the discretionary quota allotment of government flats and plots, including multiple ones in illegal ways. The list of 58 who availed more than one plot/flat included ministers, former ministers, IAS officers and other bureaucrats and journalists, wherein allotments were made arbitrarily and/or illegally during 1995-2009 period.
Those who availed plots “illegally” included, among others, Speaker Niranjan Pujari, culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda, and Pipili MLA and agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy. IAS officers are Vijay Kumar Patnaik, Nikunj Dhal, Pradip Jena, Suresh Mohapatra, Vishal Dev, RK Sharma, Alaka Panda, Ashok Tripathy, Bishnupada Shethy, Bandana Kalas, Swapneswar Baya, Jagar Singh, Hawasingh Chahar, Anita Chhopdar, Hemant Sharma, former minister Kalpataru Das’ wife Pratima Das, his MLA son Pranab Balwantrai, parliamentary affairs minister Vikram Keshari Arukha, MLA Padmanabh Behera, his wife Bishnupriya Behera, and former MLA Bimbadhar Kunar.
The journalists are Srimoy Kar, Rajaram Satpathy, Pratap Kumar Samal and Bipin Kumar Singh, Baishnab Charan Jena, and Bimal Bhanjadeo.
As many 22 persons and organizations have grabbed more than one plot or house under the quota from the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), according to the report of the task force that reviewed view allotment of houses, plots and lands by BDA, Cuttack Development Authority (CDA), the Orissa State Housing Board (OSHB) and the general administration department.
As many as 32 persons have taken multiple plots and flats from CDA and four have taken multiple allotments from all the government agencies under the discretionary quota.
BDA has allotted a total of 803 plots and flats under the discretionary quota, while CDA and OSHB have made 921 and 52 such allotments respectively, the task force pointed out in its report.
Multiple allotments were made to 116 persons by BDA, while CDA and OSHB made multiple allotments to 104 and 18 persons, respectively. As many as 18 persons have taken houses and plots from both OSHB and BDA.
BDA has allotted 62 plots, flats and lands before launching schemes such as Matrubhumi, while CDA has made only three such allotments and the OSHB has allotted 13 plots and flats in the same period.
Following media reports on the irregularity in distribution of government plots and flats in the discretionary quota, the state government constituted the three-member task force led by additional chief secretary of the revenue and disaster management department, Taradutt.
The panel submitted its report to the government last month, which was approved by the cabinet Thursday.
