Paradip: With a steep rise in the number of illegal structures and buildings under different development authorities of the state, the government had launched Sarva Khyama Yojana (amnesty scheme) to regularise those constructions.
Paradip Development Authority, one of the nine development authorities of the state, also published a notification June 20 so that the owners of the unauthorised structures can avail the opportunity.
While the deadline for submission of applications for the scheme is six months, none of the house owners living in 120 revenue villages under PDA jurisdiction has applied for it even as one month has passed. Nearly 15 industrial units set up in Paradip and its periphery also have not bothered to apply to regularise their building plans. Moreover, they have been ignoring the demand notice of PDA over collection of holding tax for the last five years.
Significantly, the PDA has not initiated action against the house owners and industrial units that have violated the law.
Among the industries that have failed to pay tax were Paradeep Phosphates Limited, IFFCO and Paradip Refinery.
Absence of legal action against the firms and individuals is attributed to lack of infrastructure and shoestring staff strength of PDA.
The Paradip-Jagatsinghpur Regional Improvement Trust (PJRIT) had been formed in 1996 for the development of the region. The body was later named as PDA in 2005. While the agency requires at least 19 employees, the day-today activities are managed by only five and four other service providers. Nine posts including that of a planning member, architect, junior engineer and junior revenue inspector are still lying vacant.
On the other hand, PDA doesn’t have its own building and operates from a room at the top of municipality office despite having its own land of 90 decimal and 8.80 acre near the beach road and Jagannath temple respectively. Any infrastructure development on these lands would generate revenue, said a PDA official.
PDA doesn’t have the records about the number of houses under its jurisdiction and their plans too are not approved. For this, the house owners have been deprived of the facilities like road and drainage systems.
This is one of the reasons no one is paying importance to the amnesty scheme.
Additional district magistrate and PDA secretary Kanhucharan Dhir said the administration is reviewing all these issues and will soon come up with a guideline.
PNN
