The state witnessed a series of protests following the comptroller and auditor general (CAG)’s revelations on how plots were distributed to people through the discretionary quota. But it seems the state government is silent on the issue… 

(Pauses) All of you are aware that we have constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the additional chief secretary Taradutt to examine the distribution of houses and plots under the discretionary quota since 1995. He has already submitted his report. It has also got the nod of the state cabinet. On the basis of the recommendations of the committee, the process has been initiated to resume (get back) the plots and houses. But we are being very careful because there may be legal hurdles. We are consulting the law department. We will act on the basis of its recommendation and suggestions. 
 
The CAG has pointed out that a number high-rise buildings, both commercial and residential, have come up in Bhubaneswar without the approval of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority. But your department is silent on the issue and is yet to initiate any action against the offenders…

That’s not correct. We have issued showcause notices to all the violators. Many of them have approached the court and have obtained stay orders. We are examining all these issues in consultation with the law department. Let me be very clear that action will be taken against all the violators according to the provisions of the law.
 
In the last Assembly session, you put the name of food and civil supplies minister Sanjay Das Burma in the list of 423 real estate firms that had illegally constructed buildings. What is the status of the case now and how are your relations with Das Burma?

(Pauses) We are working in a system where we are bound by laws. After Das Burma clarified that he had stepped down as director of the construction company that had constructed the buildings, his name was deleted from the list of violators. His name had figured in the board of directors of the company and he had had failed to inform the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) about his resignation. The episode has not strained our 
relations.
 
You must be upset when your name surfaced in the audiotape in which you were purportedly heard bargaining with a middleman for the support of Congress MLA Shibaji Majhi, who, along with two other MLAs, finally abstained from voting facilitating the victory of the BJD candidates in the 2010 Rajya Sabha election.

You see the inquiry report has already been made public and I was not found guilty. So the chapter is closed now. The Opposition keeps raking up such issues with political motives. On the question of being upset, it happens sometimes in politics. One should focus on his work and not to be distracted by such things.
 
But that there is a perception that in the BJD, you are a close ally of minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and not on good terms with Sanjay Das Burma and his close associates?

I don’t belong to any group.  I enjoy a good rapport with Atanu babu and the others. When we meet, we exchange pleasantries.

There is a public perception that you were once a disciple of Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, who was ousted from the party for anti-party activities. How do you feel at this moment?

We are loyal to Biju babu’s family and his ideals. Not only me, my late father was also a follower of Biju babu. We have been in touch with Naveen babu since he came to the state in 1997. As Pyari babu was entrusted with some responsibilities, we used to go to his house to discuss various matters. That does not mean that I belonged to his or any other particular group.

You are holding a key portfolio. What are the plans to boost urbanisation in the state?

We have submitted a proposal to include five cities of the state — Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela and Sambalpur — in the smart city scheme. All the requirements to get the status of the smart cities have been complied with. Once the cities get the status, central funds will start flowing. Puri has already been included under the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (Hriday) scheme. The central government has also announced to provide financial assistance of Rs 22 crore for development of infrastructure in the pilgrim town under this scheme. We are going to create a special cadre for urban development in the state.

The state is going to witness Nabakalebar during which lakhs of people are likely to congregate in Puri. The city will be facing a drinking water problem. How will you manage all these problems?

We have already made an assessment of the requirement of drinking water during Nabakalebar. Nearly 30 lakh people are likely to visit the town during this period. According to our assessment, the daily requirement of drinking water will be around 60 million litres a day (MLD). Now, the town gets around 28 MLD. Accordingly, we are taking steps and ensuring that there is no drinking water crisis at the time of the festival. The work is on to complete the water treatment plant in the town. However, even if it is not completed, alternative arrangements will be made to provide safe drinking water to the people. Let me also tell you that we are taking steps to ensure that there is no contamination of water in Bhubaneswar. For this, we are checking quality of water at 10 sources in the city every day.

As a large number of pilgrims are going to congregate in Puri, there is the apprehension of an outbreak of water-borne diseases. How do you plan to check it?

We have already taken all precautions to prevent diseases due to water contamination. We will take steps to disinfect all tube wells and sources of drinking water No water pouch without the ISI mark will be allowed to be sold in the market. All the water source points will be sanitised. Steps are being taken to complete all drains. Of the 124 kilometres of drains, work on nearly 119km has been completed. Steps are being taken to complete the remaining five kilometres before Nabakalebar.
 
Cuttack city is also facing the sewerage problem. Will the work being carried out by your department be completed before the monsoon?

We have taken all possible steps to expedite the drainage work in the city. But let me be frank with you, it will not be completed before this rainy season.
 
Bhubaneswar is expanding fast. Housing is a major issue here. How will your department address this issue?

We are aware of the scarcity of houses in Bhubaneswar. We are planning to build nearly 1.5 lakh houses in the next 10 years, an average of 15,000 houses each year. Steps are also being taken to rehabilitate slum dwellers. A number of housing schemes are also coming up for them. When the city expands, slums come up because they are an integral part of the urbanisation process.
 
You are talking of slum dwellers. What about the lower middle class and middle class people? How can they afford land in Bhubaneswar when the state government has decided to auction plots? It seems only rich people will benefit from the move.

The government’s decision has been misunderstood. There is no proposal to auction all kinds of land in the city. Only individual land that had earlier been allotted by the general administration department will be auctioned. 
The earlier practice of allocating houses by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and the Odisha State Housing Board (OSHB) will continue. There will be houses for the lower middle and middle class people under various schemes. 

Man of many parts 

• Puspendra Singh Deo, 52, is of royal lineage
• He did his schooling in Bhubaneswar and later moved to his native district Kalahandi to do intermediate in Bhawanipatna 
• He obtained a diploma in engineering 
• He is interested in astrology, gardening and social work 
• He was first elected to the Assembly from Koksara in 2004 
• Since 2009, he has been representing the Dharamgarh Assembly seat

What would you have been had you not been a politician

I belong to a political family. So it is natural for me to join politics.  However, since I hold a diploma in engineering, I would have been an engineer had I not stepped into politics.