Demolition drive on to clear land for Odisha JCC complex

Bhubaneswar, Aug 18:

As part of its ongoing demolition drive in the Odisha capital, a joint team of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and General Administration (GA) department today demolished several illegal structures and cleared about 2.5 acres of land encroached by some shops and vendors inside the premises of Sub-Registrar office here.

An 11-storied Judicial Court Complex (JCC) was proposed by the State Government to be set up on a 5-acre plot, out of which more than 2.5 acres of land have been encroached by outsiders, said BDA Liaison Officer Subhranshu Mohanty.

Mohanty said an amount of Rs 40 crore has been earmarked for the construction of the JCC.

Next round of evictions would be conducted by the aforesaid departments after eight days to remove other illegal structures from Bhubaneswar Bar Association, Tehsil and Sub-Collector office premises here.

“We have served a notice to the encroachers and given seven days time to vacate the place,” he added.

The eviction programme has been taken up on the request of the Sub-Registrar’s office on behalf of the Sessions Court Judge Dr Durga Prasanna Choudhary, he said.

Illegal structures, including 50 cabins and hotels and two temples built on Sub-Registrar’s land were demolished today, he added.

Zonal ACP and IIC of Badagada police station with two platoons of police force were deployed at the site for possible law-and-order situation during the demolition drive.

On January 25 chief minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone of the Judicial Court Complex (JCC) at Bhubaneswar Bar Association (BBA) office premises here.

According to plans, besides the 11 storied building, the JCC will have other three separate buildings- G+9, G+7, G+5 for the Judicial and Revenue courts..

Nearly 20 different courts would start functioning from this complex once the construction of the complex is completed. In due course, it can accommodate as many as 50 courts, sources from BBA said.

The judicial building whose construction work will begin soon after demolition drive is completed.

The building will house civil, criminal, labour, revenue, consumer, Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC), Information Commission, Lokpal, State Commission for Women (SCW), industrial tribunal, education tribunal and the Odisha administrative tribunal courts, Bar Association sources added.