Bhubaneswar: Illegal hotels, housing projects, educational institutions and commercial establishments have come up on forest land, eco-sensitive zones and protected areas in Bhubaneswar and Puri, a CAG audit has found. The report points to serious lapses in land-use monitoring, with authorities failing to check unauthorised conversions, encroachments and violations of master plans in two of Odisha’s fastest-growing urban regions.The CAG audit on monitoring of end utilisation of land found that 31.12 acres in Bhubaneswar and Puri in total were being used in violation of land-use plans prescribed under the comprehensive development plans (CDPs) of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Puri Konark Development Authority (PKDA). Land earmarked as environment sensitive zones, special heritage zones, forest areas and commercial-use zones was diverted for residential colonies, educational institutions, hotels, marriage venues, commercial establishments and sports infrastructure.In Bhubaneswar, the audit found educational institutions, housing projects and commercial establishments operating in environment sensitive zones and special heritage zones, contrary to the approved land-use pattern. The violations included educational infrastructure linked to the Hi-Tech group, commercial establishments, hotels, marriage venues and residential developments in villages such as Pandara, Raghunathpur, Bankuala, Dadha and Sisupal.The audit also flagged unauthorised occupation of govt land by several educational institutions in and around Bhubaneswar. Major institutions named include Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, DAV School, Sisupal, Bhubaneswar Engineering College, GIFT Autonomous College, Centurion University and Aryan Institute of Engineering and Technology. The audit said KISS was occupying 10 acres of forest land at Pathargadia, where academic blocks, hostels and roads had been constructed. In 12 tehsils in state, 20 private educational institutions had unauthorisedly occupied 210.76 acres of govt land.In Puri, the audit found large-scale violations within ecologically sensitive and protected areas. It reported that 13.65 acres inside the Balukhand-Konark wildlife sanctuary had been subdivided into 156 plots and sold in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Boundary walls, roads and residential constructions had already come up on the land, the report stated.The CAG also found that around 97.18 acres of forest land in Sipasarubali was being used for hotels, apartments, housing projects, commercial structures and religious institutions without the mandatory central clearances for diversion of forest land. It further pointed out that 17.75 acres within the eco-sensitive zone of the sanctuary had been developed for the Swaminarayan Temple project, with boundary walls, permanent structures and internal roads already constructed.Another major violation cited in the report relates to land use under PKDA. The audit found that 10.58 acres earmarked as commercial-use zone in Balukhanda was used for construction of the Shree Jagannath Cricket Stadium, while one acre categorised as forest-use zone was alienated for govt buildings. It also noted that 41.65 acres within eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) of Puri and Khurda districts were being used for activities not permitted under ESZ notifications.The audit concluded that neither the revenue and disaster management department nor district and tehsil authorities had put in place an effective monitoring mechanism to track end-use of allotted land, detect unauthorised conversions or resume land used in violation of approved purposes, resulting in widespread regulatory violations and environmental concerns.
