Odisha extends validity of DLF's consent order

The extension of validity order by DLF is subject to revalidation of environment clearance for the project

The State Pollution Control Board has extended for another five years the validity of the “consent to establish” order issued to DLF Ltd for the latter's cyber city project coming up at Patia on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

With the extension, the revised order is now valid till August 30, 2017, as the original order was valid till 2012.

The proponent is investing Rs 1,000 crore on the commercial IT real estate project, where apart from an IT park and ITeS (IT-enabled services) establishment, business centres, hotel and retail services as well as service apartments are being developed over an area measuring 54 acres.

The extension of the validity order is subject to revalidation of environment clearance for the project by the proponent. DLF has readied the first phase of its cyber city project for commercial operations.

DLF Cyber City would house major IT/ITeS companies like Mindfire, IN2IT Technologies and Luminous Infoways. A Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) unit is already functional at the tower and another large BPO is expected to be running its operations shortly. The tower also houses the Nexa outlet of Maruti Suzuki.

Once the first tower is fully occupied, nearly 5,000 people would be engaged.

The entire plot has mixed development components including hotel, shopping mall, club house, service apartments and accommodation. DLF Cyber City is planned as an integrated township.

DLF announced its foray into Odisha in 2009, months ahead of the general elections. The project, however, was marred by delay as a lack of demand in the IT space forced DLF to hold back construction.

DLF also got into a face-off with the state-owned land acquisition agency — Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) — over keeping idle a substantial chunk of land. Idco had allotted 54 acres to DLF at a prime location on the city’s outskirts.

Idco, in May last year, had warned of stringent action against DLF for keeping idle a large chunk of land meant for developing its Rs 1,000-crore Infopark project. Of the 54 acres allotted to DLF for the project, only seven acres have been utilised till date. But DLF shot back, terming the Idco missive “wrongful and illegal”.