Multi-storey buildings coming up in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 29: If you stay in an apartment building for which the real estate developer concerned has not obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), you could have your power and water supply connections disconnected.

The BMC council today took the unanimous decision that real estate developers who had not applied for NOC and had sold flats in the building, would have to deposit 30 per cent of the project cost to the BMC.

In the event of the developer failing to deposit this sum, water and power connections to the building may be disconnected. Builders are supposed to deposit two per cent of the project cost towards peripheral development (development of the area in which the project comes up) while applying for the NOC, which has to be obtained before asking the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to approve the project plan.

Raising the issue of NOC at the monthly council meeting here today, councillors alleged that though the city has more than 500 multi-storey buildings, only 74 NOC applications had been received so far by the BMC and a mere Rs 6 crore had been collected for peripheral development.

The council members today talked about what the BMC authorities could do to stop real estate developers from not obeying guidelines. Till date, the BMC has not developed a full-fledged planning unit, and so BDA has to approve building plans.

However, as roads, sewerage and drainage fall under BMC supervision, it is important for a builder to get an NOC before his building plan is approved.

Sanghamitra Samal, councillor of ward No. 19, who raised the issue at the council meeting, said: “For almost a year, councillors have been protesting against NOC violation, but the authorities have done nothing to penalise erring builders.”

Talking about large projects coming up in public private partnership (PPP) mode, she demanded that PPP projects too should be asked to deposit two per cent of project cost towards peripheral development.

“PPP projects involve hundreds of crores of rupees. If the BMC gives these projects a waiver, it will send a wrong signal to small real estate developers. The corporation should collect peripheral development fees from promoters of all the BMC-PPP projects,’’ said councillor of ward No. 37 Padmanabh Dash.

Councillors of ward No. 48 Kishore Kumar Mohanty and of ward No. 7 Madan Majhi wanted to know how many real estate developers in their wards had violated the NOC norm.

Answering questions, BMC commissioner Vishal Kumar Dev said NOC violators would be referred to BDA and then action would be taken under the Odisha Development Authority (ODA) Act, 1982.

“Under the ODA Act, such irregularities could lead to demolition of structures. The BDA is constituting its demolition squad with manpower and machinery, and so NOC violators should be on the lookout,” said a senior BMC official. He added: “The BDA has so far identified 100 such violators who had received plan approvals without obtaining NOCs.”

Issues such as maintenance of BMC market in ward No. 45, solid waste management and lifting of garbage and a housing scheme in Salia Sahi for economically weaker sections were also discussed at the BMC council meeting.