BMC office in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 28: The councillors of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) today demanded that property developers building new apartments in the city and on its outskirts should be asked to obtain no objection certificates (NOCs) from the corporation before being given power and drinking water connections.

Participating in the monthly council meeting of the corporation here today, they alleged that though the BMC’s NOC was a precondition for getting plans approved from the Bhubaneswar Development Authority and getting electricity and water connections, the reverse was happening at the moment. The builders were coming to seek BMC’s NOC after getting the approval from BDA and the power distribution companies and the Public Health Engineering Organisation (PHEO).

The councillors pointed out that according to the 74th amendment of the constitution, the urban local bodies (ULBs) should also have the responsibility of urban planning to ensure proper coordination between the wings dealing with sewerage, drainage, power and drinking water.

“The state government has already written to the housing and urban development department that planning should be in the hands of the ULBs. Besides apartment builders should be asked to invest two per cent cost of their total project cost on peripheral development and the amount should come to BMC while granting the NOC. The money can be spent on drainage, sewerage and civic amenities,’’ the councillors said.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said: “The council decided today to write to the authorities of central electricity Supply utility and PHEO to snap the water and power supply to apartment owners, who have managed power and water connections without getting NOCs from the BMC.’’