Naveen writes to Pradhan for restoring Odisha Bhawan land leased to petrol pump

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday raised concern over alleged encroachment of Odisha Bhawan land at New Delhi by a petrol pump.

In a letter to Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Patnaik has urged for restoring the land adjoining Odisha Bhawan, originally allotted to Odisha Government and subsequently leased out to a petrol pump.

Though Odisha had initiated a number of steps to promote Odia cuisine at the National Capital, restricted entry of public was made to Odisha Niwas canteen due to ‘space constraints’.

The physical area of Odisha Bhawan is also too small in comparison to other adjoining State Bhawans and half of the land allotted to Odisha originally has now been leased to a petrol pump.

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“There seems to be no justification for the said petrol pump as there are two operating petrol pumps adjoining each other. Hence, the original land allotted to us be restored back so that we can add capacity to our State Bhawan,” Patnaik wrote in the letter.

Naveen Patnaik also reiterated for allotment of nearly 2,000 to 3,000 sqft of land for setting up a Culture centre, which could play crucial role in showcasing rich cultural heritage of Odisha.