Bhubaneswar: The civic authorities in the Odisha capital here have converted at least 580 residential leasehold properties to freehold ones.

The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has converted 580 leasehold properties into freehold assets in the capital city here.

As many as 867 applications had been submitted for conversion of leasehold properties to freehold ones, said the BDA in a statement today.

In the first phase, at least 24 housing schemes have been taken up for conversion. The housing schemes include Pokhariput Phase I, II and III, Prachi Enclave plotted scheme at Chandrasekharpur, Lumbini Vihar housing scheme at Chandrasekharpur, Udayagiri Vihar at Patrapada and Lingaraj Vihar at Bhimpur.

Interested leaseholders can submit their applications by visiting the website of BDA (bda.gov.in) for conversion the properties to freehold ones, said the civic authorities.

Leaseholders who have constructed houses on the allotted plots and have been in possession of the plots for more than 5 years are eligible to apply for freehold status. Additionally, a lease deed must have been executed with the BDA before applying for freehold conversion.

The conversion fee for residential land has been set at 3 per cent of the latest Bench Mark Valuation of the Gharabari Kissam of land, as determined by the Registering Authority of the state government fixed for the year 2024.

If a plot is mortgaged to a financial institution, the conversion will proceed only after obtaining a no-objection certificate from the institution. Applicants are also required to submit an affidavit stating that there are no ongoing civil disputes regarding the land. If legal disputes exist, the application for conversion will be reviewed only after the case is resolved and the final court order is provided, said the BDA.

Applicants who have encroached on government land, public undertaking land, or BDA land are excluded from the scheme unless they first vacate the encroached land. An affidavit confirming the absence of any such encroachment must be submitted, it added.