Illegal construction of college building on Kuakhai River

--BDA, Irrigation Department serve show cause notices

BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Irrigation Department have served show cause notice to a private engineering college for illegally constructing its building on the Kuakhai River bank on the outskirts of the city and also directed the college authority to stop the illegal construction, while the college authority said that they are constructing their college building legally.

According to the sources, the authority of the Royal College of Science and Technology (RCST) is constructing a new building for their college on the river bank for which the BDA and Irrigation Department have served show cause notice to the college authority. The new college building’s boundary wall is only few feet from the water of the river.

The BDA said the construction is illegal and it openly violates the Building Regulation Act 2008. The authority of the college has not taken permission to construct the building according to the Odisha Development Authorities Act, 1982, it added. In August 7, 2007, the college authority was directed to stop illegal construction of the college building, but the construction work was not stopped.

On the other hand, the managing trustee of the college BM Mohanty said they have taken permission from the panchayat as the land comes under the panchayat. “As the land comes under Panchayat, we have taken permission before starting our construction. How can it be called as illegal construction,” said Mohanty.

The BDA in its show-cause notice summoned the college authority to keep its statement before August 31, if the said authority failed to present its statement before the scheduled date, the BDA would give demolish order, said BDA Vice-Chairman Vishal Kumar Dev.