Members of the demolition squad of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority demolish an illegal structure at Ashok Nagar in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 28: The short-staffed development authority faces an uphill task while executing demolition of illegal constructions.

Though the Bhubaneswar Development Auhtority (BDA) has been able to send a strong message to violators by demolishing an illegally-constructed multi-storey building for the first time here, the personnel engaged by it are facing several challenges related to shortage of manpower and infrastructure while executing their duty.

While the BDA had to hire two concrete breakers for use in the demolition of the five-storey structure, its 30-member demolition team does not have any trained person in demolition of the multi-storey structures. The team mainly consists of labourers, who have several hammers and sharp iron roads at their disposal to break the structures.

Interestingly, the Odisha State Striking Force, which has been assigned the duty by the state government to assist the demolition squad, does not have any policing power.

BDA enforcement officer Debaprasad Dash said: “To make a continuous presence in the mind of the people, demolition of illegal structures should be carried out uninterruptedly. The execution of our work could have been more effective if we have had a provision for a permanent police force.’’

Another official of the squad said: “The members should also include people with exposure to break concrete structures so that the execution process is faster. We are still depending on old equipment. Modern mechanised tools should be made available to us.’’

Urban management practitioner Piyush Ranjan Rout said: “The city is expanding fast. Keeping that in mind, the enforcement wing should also be bigger and well-equipped. Encroachers of the roads, drainage channels and government land should not be spared.” Dash said: “The illegal structure at Ashok Nagar, which we are demolishing at present, was designed by an architect empanelled with the development authority. I have written a letter to the higher authorities to blacklist such architect who make false promise and help the land owners to erect illegal structures.”

The list of the major violators that is with the BDA’s demolition squad also includes an apartment in Dumduma that has been constructed on government land. The real estate developer has even started selling houses there. On the other hand, an apartment owner at Basuaghai near Sai Temple has made a huge structure without approving the plan. A multi-storey structure at Nayapalli near Munda Sahi is also on the BDA’s target for demolition.

But why did the development authority take such a long time before starting a demolition drive?

Legal problems were major hurdles in the way of timely action of the development authority. However, nothing can happen without a constant support from the police force.

Explaining their plight, another senior BDA official from the enforcement wing said: “Last week, we went to a house near Sum Hospital at Kalinga Nagar. But, our team had to return after waiting for more than two hours as not a single senior police officer turned up to the spot.”

“Timely action by the enforcement squad is very crucial. If the team returns from a single site on a particular day wasting its time, the same demolition may take another month or even more to be executed. Therefore, there should be a provision for an urban policing squad,’’ suggested another BDA official.

Hammer & tongs

• BDA plans to raze about 15 illegal structures in phased manner

• 221 illegal multi-storey structures identified, but many have legal issues

• Big structures blocking drainage channels, encroaching on roads and government land are prime target

• Staff pool of 30 with no expertise in demolishing big structures has become a major handicap for BDA

• Demolition squad lacks concrete breaking machines; BDA hired two for Ashok Nagar job

• Demolition team has only one excavator, six hammers and iron rods.

• A 10-member team of Odisha State Striking Force helps demolition squad, but they have no policing power

• Without dedicated force deployment, demolition work will have to be stopped

• Next demolition job to be taken up after Assembly session is over

'We are carrying out demolition work despite facing many challenges. We will strike at the next target once the Assembly session is over. We cannot reveal the building details till the work begins, but there are nearly 15 structures in our priority list'
Debaprasad Dash
enforcement officer, BDA

TT SUGGESTS

An urban policing cadre dedicated to the BDA should be created so that the demolition process can be a continuous one. This will instil fear about the development authority among those who construct illegal structures