People’s Interest Supreme While Expanding Cities: Odisha Minister

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday underlined the need to focus on providing benefits to the people while formulating new schemes for urban development and expansion of cities in the state.

Addressing a meeting with officials of Development Authorities, Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said sale of land and apartments in the cities have become an expansive affair for the common people.

Similarly, increasing instances of litigation had made property-related issues more complicated and cumbersome, he said, adding that the issue has been discussed at length with the Revenue and Law departments.

Efforts are on to help people to sell and purchase land and apartments without facing any hurdle through simplification of procedures. The state government is taking steps to ease the land purchase and sale process in the cities and ensure a balanced rate, the Minister said.

Referring to urban planning, Mohapatra said appropriate mechanism should be adopted to properly deal with deal with rapid expansion of cities in the state.

As more and more new areas are gradually being included in urban territories, no arbitrary construction can take place in areas brought under the jurisdiction of development authorities, he said.

Therefore, a comprehensive roadmap needs to be prepared for provision of roads, sewerage network and other civic facilities for the benefit of the people, the Minister said.