Planning officer away, staff delay application

BARIPADA:  The absence of the lone planning officer from the District Special Planning Authority (DSPA) office here for the last three years has led to inordinate delay in approval of files triggering resentment among local residents in Mayurbhanj. Allegations are rife that the staff, taking advantage of the officer’s absence, seek ‘extra money’ from applicants awaiting approval of proposals.

Situated at Murgabadi in Baripada town, the DSPA office approves housing proposals across Baripada, Rairangpur, Karnajia, Udala and Thakurmunda. But due to the constant absence of the authorised officer, applicants and architects face difficulties. 

The assistant special planning officer (ASPO) has reportedly not attended the office since 2019. Sources said, the official is in additional charge of Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Jajpur districts besides Mayurbhanj. In the absence of ASPO, the office is run by a planning assistant and handful of staff who process the housing plans and send it to the ASPO’s residence in Cuttack.

This has been causing undue delay due to poor coordination. This apart, the staff allegedly charging extra money from applicants waiting approval of their projects. Expressing discontent, an architect Manoj Kuanr said staff in the office are demanding extra charges besides delaying the project approvals. Staff from different sections of the office have fixed ‘charges’ to complete processing of application. 

The planning documents are then sent to Cuttack for approval of plans, he said. On an average, 300 to 500 house plans are annually approved from the office, sources said. More than 300 plans annually come to the office for approval. Contacted, Collector Vineet Bhardwaj said the assistant planning officer has been given additional charge of some districts. 

The district administration has informed the government to provide a full-time officer, but is yet to receive a response. “There is no reason for deliberately delaying plan approvals. But if allegations have come, needful action will be taken after inquiry,” he said.