Bhubaneswar, June 26: The Uttarakhand catastrophe has alarmed development authorities here, even though the topography of the region is starkly different from that of the hill state.

The sight of houses falling like a pack of cards in Uttarakhand, has forced the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to begin a survey of illegal buildings constructed on riverbeds and water channels in the city.

The authority has already identified a huge medical college campus and two other buildings on the bed of the Kuakhai river, stretching from Pandra near the National Highway No.5 to Bankual. The other two buildings are Plus II science colleges.

BDA vice-chairman Vishal Kumar Dev said: “We have come to know that almost 50 per cent of the houses swept away in Uttarakhand were illegal constructions on riverbeds. Though in coastal Odisha the water current is not that strong, we cannot take chances as these educational institutions and private buildings on the riverbed will definitely cause problems for students and the general public in the future.’’

During the 2011 floods in the Mahanadi river system, water had entered the campus of this private medical college hospital constructed on the Kuakhai riverbed in 2004. Floodwaters had affected several wards of the hospital and students’ hostels.

Dev said out of the 222 illegal buildings to be demolished by the development authority, the medical college campus on the riverbed and the two Plus II science colleges, which are also perilously close to the river, are the most prominent.

Sources said all the buildings on the Kuakhai riverbank had come up without BDA’s permission. They said approval for multi-storey structures in eco-sensitive and flood zones could not be given as per the provisions of the comprehensive development plan.

Urban management practitioner Piyush Ranjan Rout said: “Unscrupulous builders were busy adding floors to their illegal structures. It is a mystery why the development authority is not acting against them. The BDA should go for demolition to send a strong message to the people.”

A senior BDA official said they were consulting the advocate-general to initiate steps against the owners of unauthorised buildings that pose a threat to the public.

The water resources, revenue and disaster management and the housing and urban development departments have also given the go ahead to the BDA for the demolition of the three buildings illegally constructed on the Kuakhai riverbed. However, no action has been taken so far.

The Telegraph had published a report (River chokes, govt mum) on August 20 last year. The report had quoted water resources secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra pledging action against the illegal structures on river embankments.

Major drainage channels in the city have also been encroached upon by illegal buildings causing immense hardships to the general public, who face a flood-like situation during the monsoon. The BDA is also planning a demolition drive in these areas.