719 illegal apartments in Odisha, maximum cases of violation in Bhubaneswar: Minister informs Assembly

There are around 719 illegal apartments and constructions across Odisha while the maximum cases of violations are from Bhubaneswar. This piece of information was shared by Urban and Housing Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mohapatra in Odisha Assembly on Tuesday.

The Minister informed the House about the illegal apartments while responding to a question from Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati. As per the Minister’s reply, out of the total 719 illegal apartments, highest 689 cases of violations have been reported from Bhubaneswar alone.

It is pertinent to mention here that there are legal provisions under section 90, 91 and 92 of Odisha Development Authorities Act 1982. Though a formal assessment of such illegal apartments and constructions in Odisha has not been done, there are 719 such illegal structures in Bhubaneswar and other cities and 689 cases have been registered under Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits.

Despite stringent norms, lack of action has now emerged as a major concern. Earlier, orders were passed to demolish around 200 such illegal constructions in Bhubaneswar. However, such orders remained in pen and paper. It has also been observed that several individuals and institutions have been able to regularise such constructions by exploiting loopholes in the law.