The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has issued a notice to Dr Jyoti Routray, wife of Revenue Minister Bijayshree Routray, asking her to provide information on the approval of the building plan on the land allocated to her for setting up a nursing home at Kharavel Nagar in Bhubaneswar.
“You are allotted Government land at Bhubaneswar by the GA Department at concessional rate for setting up a nursing home/private hospital. As regards construction of building within the Bhubaneswar plan area, you require prior approval of building plan for nursing home/private hospital from the BDA,” said a BDA letter, asking Dr Jyoti Routray to furnish the building plan approval within seven days.
However, the BDA’s much-delayed notice has raised many eyebrows. The plot was allocated way back in 1988. What was the BDA doing all these yearsIJ Why has it awakened only now after the whole scam came to fore, ask observers.
It is to be noted that the land on Plot no A/117 near the Shriya cinema hall was being used for residential purpose though allotted for setting up of a nursing home at a heavily subsidised price. There was no trace of a nursing home or hospital on the land till last month. Instead, the Minister’s family is residing in the house built on the plot.
After media furore, a ‘charitable’ hospital was opened at the plot overnight obviously in a desperate bid to avoid possible action. A day after it, a joint team of the Accountant General (AG), the GA Department and the Directorate of Medical Education and Training inspected the premises and found that a clinic was running there.
Notably, the GA Department has issued show-cause notices to 13 individuals or institutions for not using the lands allocated to them for setting up hospitals or nursing homes and for using them for residential or commercial purposes instead.