Cuttack: A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Orissa High Court Monday challenging construction of an apartment building at Godanda in Patia area of Bhubaneswar.
Kuna Kumar Jena, a resident of Patia, filed the petition seeking a stay on the construction of the building has been undertaken by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA).
The petitioner has made the secretaries of the Law Department, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, General Administration Department, in addition to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner, BDA vice-chairman, Khurda Collector and Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police parties to the case.
Jena contended that for many years the residents in the area have been cultivating paddy, green gram and black gram on the land. Besides, marriage parties, rituals and festivals are also organised on the premises. However, the BDA is constructing the apartment on the land on the pretext of beautifying the city.
The four-acre land located in Plot No 406 is actually a grazing land, but a builder has allegedly grabbed some portion of it. Earlier, the rural road connecting Godanda and Kanan Vihar passed through the premises of a private school. Eventually, some people also encroached upon the road, the petitioner alleged.
Earlier, the residents had drawn the attention of BDA authorities for renovation of Godanda area, including the rural road, but in vain. Now the development authority is constructing a boundary wall around the plot for constructing an apartment building, the petitioner alleged.
The petitioner has appealed to the court to stay the construction work and remove all encroachments alongside the roads. Advocate Antaryami Swain presented the case on behalf of the petitioner.
PNN