Bhubaneswar: The administration has initiated steps to seal a hotel-cum-restaurant, said to be illegally built on the premises of a community centre, in Dharmasala area of Odisha’s Jajpur district.

Dharmasala Block Development Officer (BDO) has put up ‘Latka’ at Balle Balle Dhaba and Restaurant, built on the premises of Dharmasala Bhawan at Neulpur panchayat in Jajpur district.

The administration has issued the Latka against some unknown persons and asked them to vacate the place within three days.

According to villagers, the community hall, named as Dharmasala Bhawan, had been built on a piece of governmental land adjacent to National Highway-200 at Neulpur a few years ago to cater to the requirements of the local people.

Dharmasala block authorities, later, allowed a private person to open a food court at the community centre. However, the private person later built an AC hotel and banquet hall on the premises of the community centre with overt and covert support from former Dharmasala MLA Pranab Kumar Balabantaray, alleged the villagers.

As per the allegations, the private person was charging hefty sums from people for organizing social events, including wedding ceremonies, at the banquet hall. The local villagers were virtually debarred from entering the community hall.

It has been further alleged that the funds sanctioned under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) and MLA Local Area Development (MLALAD) scheme were utilized to build the hotel and banquet hall.

“Due to hefty charges, only rich and influential people could hold wedding and other social events at the banquet hall. The local people did not have any access to the hall,” said a villager.

Some villagers also alleged that the hotel and banquet hall were managed by the husband of an actress-turned-politician in the state.

“Many politicians, influential people and movie personalities including actresses used to stay at the hotel,” they alleged.

The administration has initiated steps to seal the hotel and banquet hall after newly-elected Dharmasala MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo raised the issue before it.