Panicky Odisha MLA returns another flat to BDA

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar, Aug 1:

Pranab Kumar Balabantaray, the MLA son of BJD MP Kalpataru Das, today returned another house to the Odisha State Housing Board (OSHB) after coming under sharp criticism for availing more than one house under the discretionary quota of the Odisha government.

He has returned a flat type 1, 404 in Radhakrishna Enclave in Bhubaneswar, which he had availed in 2008, to BDA. The Dharmasala MLA said he had informed the OSHB chairman about it.

The decision to return the second flat within hours of returning the first is believed to have been prompted by fear of action against his father by the party supremo and chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

On Thursday, Balabantaray had returned another flat –E-09 – in Netaji Subash Enclave in Bhubaneswar that he had got under discretionary quota.

Balbantaray had taken possession of both the houses at Netaji Subhas Enclave at Gadakana here in June 2011.

According to sources, Rajya Sabha MP Kalpataru Das and his extended family own 41 houses and plots – including eight super deluxe flats in Bhubaneswar. The properties are in the names of his wife, mother son and daughter-in-law. The family, in the last 10 years, has been able to buy 33 plots and eight flats, of which 24 plots and five houses are in the name of his son Pranab Balabantray and two plots and two luxury flats are in the name of Pranab’s wife Ranjita.

Apart from this, there are seven large-sized plots in the name of Sukanti, wife of Kalpataru.