Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has extended the amnesty scheme, which allows the residents to regularise unauthorized constructions by 15 days.
It was to end on Wednesday (February 5).
The deadline of Sarbakhyama Yojana was extended in view of overwhelming public demand for the scheme, Housing and urban Development Minister Pratap Jena to the media on Tuesday.
The existing scheme is in force in Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Cuttack Development Authority (CDA), Rourkela Development Authority (RDA), Talcher-Angul-Mermunduli Development Authority, Berhampur Development Authority, Sambalpur Development Authority, Puri-Konark Development Authority, Kalinga Nagar Development Authority and Paradip Development Authority.
The government had earlier denied any extension of the scheme period and warned violators of stern action under the Orissa Development Authority (ODA) Act 1982, from February 6.
In June 2018, the Housing and Urban Development Department had introduced amnesty scheme – Regularisation of Unauthorised Constructions 2018 (Sarbakshama Yojana) – for housing plan violations within BDA area.
Later, the BDA again introduced the revised Amnesty Scheme on August 6, 2019, for a period of six months until February 5, 2020, to help more people to apply and take the benefit.