The Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) on Monday started demolishing the top two floors of a four-storied commercial building used as a spa and a restaurant at Madhusudan Nagar in the city.
According to reports, Ranjit Kumar Sahu, owner of the building stand at plot number-889 at Madhusudan Nagar, had applied to the BDA for 1,960 sqft of land for residential purposes, but he was allotted 856 sqft by the authority. Sahu then used the residential area for commercial purpose by encroaching on the adjacent public land and gave it on rent to Naturals Spa and Jelly Bean multi-cuisine restaurant. When the BDA knew about the illegal use of the allotted land and the encroachment carried out by Sahu, it lodged a case against the owner in 2011. After a few months of the complaint, Sahu appealed at the High Court against the BDA’s demolition order. The High Court ordered the Urban Development Department Secretary to hear Sahu’s case. Hearing the case, the Secretary dismissed Sahu’s plea in 2012 and directed the BDA to demolish the illegal structure. BDA Enforcement Officer Deba Prasad Dash said the BDA started demolishing the building after getting a notice from the appropriate authorities. One platoon of police force in the presence of ACP Bishnu Mishra was deployed at the spot to prevent any untoward incident. Notably, at least 32 commercial buildings in the city have no permission or clearances from the BDA. PNS