Bhubaneswar: The state government has spent over Rs 3.31 crore from the state exchequer on repair, renovation and construction works at two official quarters of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in Bhubaneswar.
The General Administration and Public Grievance Department said this in its reply to an RTI query filed by activist Pradip Kumar Pradhan.
The department, however, declined to disclose the administrative and technical approvals for the works, citing security concerns. The chief minister is a Z+ protectee and the security of his official residence forms an integral part of the overall security architecture.
It further said the administrative and technical approvals relating to the chief minister’s residence may contain detailed engineering, architectural and structural specifications. Therefore, their disclosers could be expected to prejudicially affect the security of the protected premises and public safety.
As for the expenditure on renovation and construction, the department informed that Rs 2,32,52,855 was incurred on works at Government Quarter No. VIIDS-1 in Unit-V and Rs 98,56,883 was spent at Government Quarter No. B-1 in Unit-II in Bhubaneswar during 2024-25 and 2025-26.
‘Not Done’
However, Pradhan, the state convenor of Odisha Soochna Adhikar Abhijan (OSAA), a forum of RTI activists, has accused the government of treating the details sought in the RTI query as the chief minister’s personal information.
Pradhan argued that the authorities had not adequately explained how the specific information sought fell within the statutory exemption. He claimed that invoking such provisions to withhold information of public interest undermined the spirit of the transparency law.
