Town Planning scheme in Bhubaneswar suburb opposed by locals

Residents in Ratagada Lenkasahi and Chandiprasad Mouzas expressed concerns on Friday over the Bhubaneswar Development Authority’s town planning (TP) scheme. The villagers are worried that the development plan could interfere with traditional agricultural practices, threatening local livelihoods.

Also Read: Odisha accelerates urban land development under Town Planning (TP) scheme

Local residents voiced their concerns directly to the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Minister, seeking reassurance that their community’s welfare would not be compromised. “Around 90 percent of the residents in our village are farmers. They mainly depend on the agricultural activities,” a resident, Dhruba Charan Behera, expressed.

“We had a discussion with the Minister and were assured by him. However, how far he will stick to his words is to be seen,” the farmer, Dhruba Behera, added.

No forcible implementation: Minister

The Minister affirmed that the proposal aims to benefit the public. He promised that any significant disruptions posed by the scheme will be reconsidered, emphasising that there will be no forced implementations without the community’s acceptance.

“The town planning scheme is in the best interests of the common people. Front patches of land were usually being occupied by some influential persons. As a result, persons owning the patches of land behind them had been facing utter difficulties,” H&UD Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said.

“In turn, the disadvantaged landowners were being compelled to sell their properties at throwaway prices. If some of the landowners are facing issues in certain areas, we will not implement the TP scheme there,” the Minister asserted.

Must Read: Odisha aims at urban development through TP scheme in fixed-time frame

Worth mentioning, the State government previously stepped up efforts to implement the TP Scheme, designed to reform urban land development. Under this ambitious initiative, the government plans to develop land in a 60-40 proportion, aligning with the land it acquires, and ultimately distributing it among the public.