Nearly half of building plan violation cases pending in BMC

Bhubaneswar: Nearly half of the 9,500 building plan violation cases registered under Odisha Development Authority Act, 1982 remain pending across the city’s three zones.

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said the violations largely relate to construction without obtaining plan approval, failure to adhere to sanctioned building plans, encroachment, unauthorised extensions and other structural deviations. Authorities said ODA cases are instituted after complaints are received from the public, during enforcement drives or through random inspections carried out by the corporation. To speed up disposal, the pending cases are now distributed among the three zonal offices depending on the location of the building, house or structure.

“Cases are considered disposed of when deviations are corrected by the owner himself within 15 days, or the enforcement squad demolishes the deviated structure, or through penalty or by adhering to approved plan,” BMC deputy commissioner Jogendra Majhi said.

The south-east zone has the highest number of pending cases. Of around 3,900 ODA cases, only about 600 have been cleared so far. The south-west zone has the second-highest pendency, followed by the north zone.

Officials said each case is heard in ODA courts, with one court functioning in each of the three zones. Though the intended timeline is to dispose of a case within 45 to 60 days, the process often stretches much longer.

Sources said the slow pace of disposal puts a pressure on the civic body’s enforcement plan, particularly in areas witnessing rapid urban growth and frequent deviations from approved construction norms. Civic officials said the zonal redistribution of pending cases is expected to improve monitoring and accelerate action against violators.