Bhubaneswar: As many as 719 apartments constructed in different towns in Odisha are illegal, informed Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra today.

Replying to a question asked by Jeypore MLA Tara Parasad Bahinipati, the minister told the House that 719 apartments in various urban areas in the state have been constructed illegally, out of which 689 are in Bhubaneswar.

There is a provision under sections 90, 91 and 92 of Orissa Development Authorities Act, 1982 to take action against the real estate firms or builders involved in the illegal constructions.

Although the exact number of illegal construction of apartments has not been ascertained in the state, 719 cases have been registered against illegal construction in different towns, of which 689 cases have been registered under the jurisdictions of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Bhubaneswar, Mahapatra stated.