BHUBANESWAR: Approximately 50% of the 9,500 building plan violation cases under the Odisha Development Authority Act of 1982 are still unresolved across the city’s three zones.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials indicated that these violations primarily involve construction without obtaining the necessary plan approval, not adhering to sanctioned building plans, encroachments, unauthorized extensions, and other structural deviations.
Authorities noted that ODA cases are initiated either based on public complaints, during enforcement drives, or through random inspections conducted by the corporation. To expedite case resolutions, the pending cases are now allocated to the three zonal offices according to the location of the buildings, houses, or structures.
“A case is regarded as resolved when the owner rectifies the deviations within 15 days, the enforcement team demolishes the non-compliant structure, or a penalty is applied along with adherence to the approved plan,” stated BMC Deputy Commissioner Jogendra Majhi.
The southeast zone has the highest number of unresolved cases, with about 600 out of 3,900 ODA cases cleared to date. The southwest zone follows with the second-highest number of pending cases, with the north zone in third place.
Officials mentioned that each case is adjudicated in ODA courts, with one court operating in each zone. Although the aim is to resolve cases within 45 to 60 days, the actual process often extends much longer.
Sources indicate that the sluggish pace of case resolutions is exerting pressure on the civic body’s enforcement strategy, especially in rapidly urbanizing areas where deviations from approved construction norms are frequent. Civic officials anticipate that redistributing pending cases among the zones will enhance oversight and hasten action against violators.
