BDA cancels allotment of 9 DQ houses in Odisha’s capital, more to follow

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar, Aug 6:

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), which has come under sharp criticism for allocating more than one house and plot under the discretionary quota (DQ) to a number of individuals in Odisha’s capital city, has so far cancelled nine houses and is examining to expand its probe beyond the Accountant General’s report.

“We had sent showcause notices in 12 cases based on the report the Accountant General. So far, we have cancelled nine cases and are examining other three cases. We are in the process of giving compliance to the government on AG’s observations,” the BDA vice-chairman Dr Krishan Kumar told media persons at State Secretariat here.

He said after the compliances are met in the first phase, the BDA would examine other cases as well if it receives any complaints in future.

The Accountant General had given specific instances of 29 people managing to acquire more than one property from the BDA alone and nine other cases where false affidavits were submitted. This violated the standing rule that a person can get only one plot or a house from the government.

The government has stepped up the cancelation process after a furore over the matter, especially after shocking revelations that the BJD Rajya Sabha member and former Minister Kalpataru Das’s family had got multiple houses and plots under discretionary quota rocked the state.

There are also reports that several bureaucrats and top police officials have availed more than one house under the quota.

It is not clear, however, whether and when the BDA or the state government would proceed against those who are guilty of such violations but have not been named in the Accountant General’s report.