Post News Network
Jayakrishnan vu
Bhubaneswar, Sept 3: The urge to own a dwelling or a piece of land in and around the state capital has been so massive lately that the persistent threat of floods and patent violation of laws have not deterred people from buying and selling plots of land in an area set aside as flood zone.
Vast tracts of land of the Ganguanala, once a natural freshwater body but now a dirty and shrinking sewage outlet, have been encroached upon and construction of illegal apartments are in progress in violation of flood zone regulations. Paddy fields near the nala have now become a hub of high-rise buildings.
It hardly matters to the buyers and sellers of plots and flats in the area that this site has been prone to periodical floods owing to its geographical location. Memories of a major flood in the area in 2013 are still fresh in many people’s mind. The area also sees frequent water-logging.
The detailed master plan prepared by a group of experts from IIT Kharagpur in 2008 has set this area aside as a flood zone. The master plan, approved by the state government, prohibits any kind of construction activity in this ecologically sensitive area, said Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) officials.
Sources said unscrupulous land agents employed by the land mafia have been selling plots and flats to unsuspecting people eager to own a piece of land in the capital city and thus robbing them of their hard-earned lifelong savings. Prices of flats on sale here reportedly start from about `25 lakh each, and the rents start from `4,000 for a two-room flat.
When contacted, BDA liaison officer Subhranshu Mohanty said citizens were warned against buying land in the area through a public announcement some years back. BDA officials, however, admitted that more than 20 apartment complexes have come up in Shanti Vihar area on the land of the Ganguanala in the last one decade.
A senior BDA official said: “Residents seem oblivious to the constant threat of floods as flood water from the Kuakhai river could enter the Ganguanala during the monsoon and cause massive loss to life and property in the area”.
“We will look into the matter and decide on corrective steps,” said BDA enforcement officer Pramod Kumar Patra.
Jyotiranjan, a local resident, said: “Innocent people have been duped by agents of the real-estate mafia posing as genuine owners of the plots in this flood zone”.