BHUBANESWAR: The BJP on Thursday came out strongly refuting allegations of irregularities in the allotment of housing plots to judges and bureaucrats under discretionary quota (DQ). ‘’Allotment of land under discretionary quota was made as per the brochure conditions of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) and in no case a plot has been given below the price fixed by the authority concerned,’’ senior BJP leaders and former urban development ministers KV Singhdeo and Samir Dey told a media conference here. Dismissing the allegation of a BJD Lok Sabha member that BJP ministers (referring to Singhdeo and Samir Dey) had committed irregularities in allotments under discretionary quota from 2000-2009, Singhdeo reminded the MP that his house is built over a land provided to his mother under Chief Minister’s discretionary quota. A large number of MPs and MLAs have been allotted government land for housing purpose under discretionary quota from time to time. Even Rural Development Minister Bikram Arukh was allotted a plot by Higher Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra when the latter was minister for Housing and Urban Development. Even Biju Patnaik as chief minister had allotted a piece of land adjacent to Naveen Nivas, the residence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in favour of his wife Gyan Patnaik, Singhdeo said. ‘’Those who are living in glass houses should not throw stones to others,’’ he said adding that the Chief Minister had done a bigger crime by doling out land to Vedanta at a token value. Expressing his readiness to face any inquiry, Singhdeo dared the Government to cancel all the allotments for housing purpose since the inception of the quota system. Asserting that no favour was shown to senior IAS officer Alaka Panda during allotment of a plot under Kalinganagar Development Scheme of the BDA, the leader of the BJP Legislature Party said a plot measuring 5,600 sq ft was allotted in her favour in 2000 at a cost of Rs 3.61 lakh. That was the price prevailing then. The price should not be compared with the current market price, he added. Admitting that several judges and senior bureaucrats were given plots, Singhdeo said the allotments were made on first-cum-first-serve basis. Even general public benefited under the DQ system. “This is an attempt to single out BJP which has launched a public movement against corruption in the Congress-led UPA Government at Centre and Naveen-led Government in the State,’’ he said in response to a query.
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