Utkal Royal Residency project in fresh trouble

Utkal Royal Residency, a 17-storied housing cum commercial project being developed by the city-based Utkal Builders, has been found to be falling under the city's heritage zone, a no-go area for tall-storied apartments.

This has also raised a question mark over the manner in which the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has given the plan approval for the project.

This is a fresh jolt to the project which had earlier drawn the wrath of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for carrying out construction work without prior environment clearance. Though Utkal Builders had filed its response to the showcause notice, it was found to be unsatisfactory and the authorities of the State Expert Appraisal Committee have raised objections over the project, pointing out that the site of the real estate project fell under the heritage zone.

 

“Utkal Builders had filed a writ petition in the Orissa High Court against the SEIAA. The court has allowed four weeks to the SEIAA for disposal of the case while maintaining status quo on the project. The court has also directed BDA to report to the SEIAA on the extent of violation committed by the real estate developer by undertaking construction work without prior environment clearance. Now it is up to the SEIAA whether we will give a conditional clearance for the project or reject it”, Bhagirathi Behera, director (environment) and member secretary of SEIAA told Business Standard.