Discretionary quota row: Oppn accuses Odisha govt of hiding 'corrupt practices'

“The government has taken this decision to protect some beneficiaries, particularly bureaucrats. If the select allottees face some problems, they may create trouble for the BJD dispensation,” he said.

The purpose of setting up the task force under the chairmanship of then revenue department secretary and senior IAS officer Tara Dutta was “defeated when the government decided not to consider its recommendations”.

“The cabinet decision exposed that the BJD government is trying to hide corrupt practices in allotting plots and houses under the discretionary quota,” he said.

BJP general secretary Prithivraj Harichandan also slammed the government for the cabinet decision.

“This is nothing but to protect the corrupt practices of bureaucrats,” he said.

BJD MLA Rajkishore Das, however, denied the allegation and said the BJP and the Congress have a “habit of opposing all decisions of the state government. They never get into reality”.

However, in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on December 18, 2014, the then council of ministers had accepted the task force recommendations, barring one on which it would like to seek legal opinion, former chief secretary Gokul C Pati had said during a press briefing on December 18, 2018.

Then urban and housing development minister Pushpendra Singhdeo had also said, “Of the total of 6,001 allotments made by the BDA (Bhubaneswar Development Authority), CDA (Cuttack Development Authority) & OSHB under various schemes since 1995, as many as 1,791 made under the ‘discretionary quota’ will be cancelled.” However, the Cabinet note issued on Friday said, “In the light of the recommendation of the task force ….the government has decided to exclude from the purview of task force Report, the allotments made under the discretionary quota which have been made in terms of the brochure and schemes to persons who are single allottees by BDA, CDA and OSHB…”