BHUBANESWAR: With unscrupulous builders defrauding the gullible in the urban areas of the State, the latest order from the Lokpal, if put into implementation by the State Government, will go a long way in curbing the menace of land sharks.The Lokpal has recommended the State Government to set up special cells in Bhubaneswar Development Authority, Cuttack Development Authority as well as in other regional development bodies. Each cell must be manned by five senior officers to scrutinise the plans submitted by builders for approval to keep a watch on their genuineness of transactions with the vendors as well as purchasers.Important documents such as certificates of encumbrance granted by sub-registrars, rules and regulations of different development authorities can also be monitored by the special cells, the order said.The State Police have also been advised to consider establishment of a separate wing with adequate police personnel to investigate fraudulent transactions which the Lokpal said are multiplying by the day. An officer in the rank of SP must head the wing.Taking note of the order, the Housing and Urban Development Department has asked all regional development authorities to comply with the Lokpal order and submit a report.The Lokpal’s directions came in pursuant to a petition filed by one Mohinidhar Patnaik who was allegedly duped by a builder. Patnaik had booked a house on a 1,520 sq ft area at Pubasashan in Puri district’s Pipli by paying Rs 1.65 lakh to Pratima Builders Pvt Ltd. He had also requested MD of the real estate company C R Das to arrange a loan to the tune of Rs 9 lakh towards cost of the house.Das got the loan arranged from ICICI Bank, Bhubaneswar Branch, through a tripartite agreement in 2006. The bank paid Rs 6 lakh, as part of the loan, to the builder. A year later, Patnaik saw an advertisement in which the house he had booked, along with the other housing projects at Pubasashan, had been mortgaged by the realtor to Andhra Bank, Baramunda Branch, in the City. Andhra Bank also took possession of the buildings.When Patnaik approached the builder seeking his house or refund of his money, he found that the realtor had shifted his office and he was untraceable. He lodged a complaint with Sahid Nagar Police in 2009 but in vain. The complainant also brought the matter to the notice of DG of Police and Commissionerate of Police without any relief although police intervention prompted ICICI Bank not to realise the loan from the complainant.After hearing the case, the Lokpal asked the Chief Minister, in charge of Home Department, to ask the DGP for constituting a Special Investigation Team, with five Crime Branch (CB) officers, to probe the case and apprehend the accused. While a CB SP would supervise the probe, the investigation must be completed in three months, the Lokpal said.
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