One more minister of the Naveen Patnaik council of ministers is caught in the land row. The state BJP on Thursday alleged that revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro had “grabbed” 10,296 square feet land at Nayapali in the city.
Besides, his son Biplab Patra has allegedly been allotted 43,000 square feet plot near DAV School, just one-and-a-half kilometre from the state secretariat and 3 km from the chief minister’s residence.
“When BDA never allots such big plots to any individual, the minister manipulated the administrative rules to get the plots and houses,” BJP state vice-president Ashok Sahu told reporters here on Friday.
Mr Patra, however, rejected the BJP charge, saying it was attempt to malign his image.
Mr Sahu observed that although the current market price of the Nayapalli house with the plot would be more than `5.5 crore, the minister has worth `55 lakhs in his recently submitted property list.
On the 43,000 square feet land near DAV School allotted in the name of the minister son, the BJP leader said the plot was given to Biplab by none other than chief minister Naveen Patnaik who holds the general administration department.