ROURKELA: Local Congress leaders have renewed their demand for a housing project for the landless urban middleclass besides, strengthening of the near defunct divisional office (DO) of the Odisha State Housing Board (OSHB) to benefit existing allottees.
Former president of Rourkela District Congress Committee Biren Senapati at a press conference on Saturday said the city has not seen any new housing project in the past 25 years. He demanded the OSBH to take up its housing project proposed six years back. Senapati saw a conspiracy to close the DO at Basanti Colony here set up in 1975. He said the DO covers multiple districts, but is running with skeletal staff of 12 against sanctioned strength of 28 and all senior posts are lying vacant.
Speaking on the occasion, former Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey demanded the OSHB to decentralise power and empower its DO to execute sale deed and ownership transfer. He also demanded the OSHB to restore power of the DO to issue no due clearance, no objection certificate, no land clearance certificates and save existing allottees from harassment of travelling to Bhubaneswar.
Tirkey said the 52nd costing committee has prescribed land price formula for transfer of surplus adjacent land to existing allottees. Accordingly, the OSHB should downward revise per square feet price to `1,161 from `1,347 for Basanti Colony and `705 from `1,300 for Phase 1 of Chhend Colony that are much higher than prices for Kapilprasad and Kalaharanga in Bhubaneswar. He also demanded inclusion of an apolitical person of Rourkela into the OSHB. Senapati said the issue would be brought to the notice of Chief Minister Naveeen Patnaik.