Illegal and unplanned housing complexes on the city outskirts bear the brunt of flood on Sunday. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 12: If you are planning to buy a plot or an apartment in the state capital, especially on the outskirts, make a detailed survey of the area during monsoon before taking a call.

This is the lesson learnt from the flood that has affected more than 1,000 people living in a multi-storeyed complex near Sunderpada. Apparently, most of the people, who bought property there, did not have much idea about the state of drains and stormwater clearance system in the area.

More than 1,000 flats of a particular builder, including one apartment complex in which residents have already moved in, are severely affected. Even after being rescued from their waterlogged apartment yesterday, the residents are cursing their fate as they had never imagined that the situation could turn so grave in Bhubaneswar. But the builders seem undeterred as a third complex comprising more than 500 flats is coming up in the area.

Real estate developers working in the area of Sundarpada-Jatni Road admitted that not only these three apartment complexes, but also 25 others were coming up without permission of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority. The buildings have the approval of block development officers (BDOs).

“While buying a property a buyer should always go for a personal verification of land, flat and the surrounding. Most importantly, while buying a flat one should ensure that the development authority has given technical approval and not the BDO. The development authority has a building by-law which analyses each and every aspect of a plan approval in most of the cases. It also adheres to the guidelines of the National Building Code, whereas in case of BDO-approved structures there is no scope for giving permission after undertaking a technical study,’’ said Anup Mohapatra, a senior member and former president of the Real Estate Developers’ Association.

The area where Daya waters have played havoc is part of BDA’s flood zone. Therefore, the authority does not give permission to builders to construct apartments in the area. But structures keep coming up in the area with nod from the revenue officials.

Though Jatni BDO Ashutosh Samal claimed that revenue officials did not give permission to builders, local residents of Madhipur, where the flood fury is maximum, alleged that some real estate players had managed to get BDOs’ nod with retrospective effect.

Manendra Nayak, resident of an affected multi-storeyed structure along the Sundarpada-Jatni Road, took the help of the rescue team to get her paralysed mother out of the flood-hit area, said: “After such a dangerous experience on the outskirts of the state capital, I would ask those planning to buy a property to visit the spot during the rainy season, so that they are exposed to the reality. On many occasions, developers, especially those without planning approval from the BDA, will tend to flout regulations and act as if everything is all right. Therefore, personal investigation is a must.’’

DS Tripathy, president of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association (India), Orissa chapter, said: ``There should be proper coordination between the BDA and revenue officials regarding flood zones. However, if some structures were already given permission, the BDA should reassess the nod afresh. Even people of Palasuni and Chakeisiani are complaining over flood and the BDA should rethink its plan approval in those pockets.’’

Planning member of the development authority Prashant Kumar Patnaik admitted that in the past BDOs had given permissions to builders despite a circular against any such act.

“Builders mainly target middle and lower income groups as there is demand for housing in the city. But, there should be adequate levelling of the plinth area, so that floodwater did not get inside. Builders might have flouted the norm for cost-cutting measures. As the areas have become part of the development authority’s territory, rules and development plan will be enforced in the area within three to six months,’’ he added.

Sources in the real estate business said one of the builders whose properties were under threat from Daya floods had managed to get the chief minister to inaugurate his private medical college in the past for which infrastructure was developed in a high-flood zone and without any approval from the development authorities concerned.