Odisha minister's wife found misusing govt land

Odisha revenue and disaster management minister Bijayshree Routray has landed in trouble after his doctor wife was allegedly found misusing government land allotted for the purpose of opening a clinic.
The minister's wife Dr Jyoti Routray, who is a practising doctor, was allotted a piece of land in the posh Unit-III area in 1987 by the then J B Patnaik-led Congress government. She had then paid Rs 61,984 for the plot.
Routray, who was probing a land scam at Ghangapatna village on the outskrits of the state capital for alleged involvement of the ruling party politicians, however dismissed charges of "misuse" of the government land.

"My wife ran a nursing home for several years at the same plot. However, her nursing home did not function properly due to opening of a big hospital in close vicinity. She closed down the nursing home and the plot is now being used as residential purpose," Routray told reporters claiming that he has not done anything wrong or illegal.
He also claimed that he has no second plot or house in the state capital to live.
The matter came to light after the health department issued notices to health centres built on government land.
Of the 44 hospitals built over government land, only 21 hospitals responded. When the health department screened hospitals which had not responded, Routray's residential address came up, official sources said.