KV denies misuse of discretionary quota

Denying allegations of misuse of discretionary quota during his stint as the minister for urban development during 2004-07 in the erstwhile BJD-BJP ruling coalition, senior BJP leader Kanak Vardhan Singhdeo has called for enquiry by any independent authority into the matter.

Singhdeo's name figured along with his preceding and succeeding urban development ministers, Samir Dey and Badri Narayan Patra in an exposure by a leading national news channel. The allegations centred around offering flats and land parcels to sitting and former judges as well as IPS officers and bureaucrats at concessional rates through use of minister's discretionary quota.

“I welcome probe by any independent authority into the matter. There has been no violation in the allotment of flats and land plots. Besides judges and bureaucrats, the flats have also been alloted to journalists, doctors, ex-army men and to the general public. Anyone who has applied, flats have been allotted on first come, first serve basis,” Singhdeo told newspersons here.

Stating that discretionary quota is 10 per cent for Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and five per cent in Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) as per the brochure conditions, the BJP leader clarified that no rules have been violated. He also rebuffed allegations that flats have been offered to sitting judges and bureaucrats at concessional rates at prime locations of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.