In a decisive move to reinforce the implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA), the Odisha government has introduced a comprehensive set of reforms to improve transparency, coordination, and enforcement in the real estate sector.
The decisions were taken during a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar.
A key reform mandates that all planning and development authorities under the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Department must notify the Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority (ORERA) in real time regarding any project plan approvals. A digital data-sharing protocol will soon be developed to eliminate long-standing inter-departmental communication gaps.
The government also announced that ORERA 2.0 will be integrated with the Bhulekh (land records) and SUJOG portals, allowing automatic data synchronization and cross-verification of approved projects, which is expected to significantly reduce duplication and misinformation.
Further strengthening enforcement, the H&UD Department will now work in coordination with the Revenue & Disaster Management Department to recover penalties imposed by ORERA under the Odisha Public Demand Recovery (OPDR) Act.
For the first time, enforcement support from BDA and BMC will be extended to ORERA. A monthly enforcement calendar will be published to ensure systematic action.
In addition, monthly coordination meetings between ORERA, H&UD, and Revenue Departments will be institutionalised. District Collectors and Tehsildars will be required to submit regular reports on illegal real estate activities, bringing local-level monitoring into the fold.
The implementation of RERA provisions has now been made a standing agenda item in collector review meetings, guaranteeing consistent attention at the district level.
To address capacity gaps, ORERA will expedite recruitment for crucial sanctioned posts such as Joint Secretary (Admin) and Deputy Secretary (Enforcement). Moreover, it will be empowered to recruit retired government officials via open advertisements to fill vacant positions.
Lastly, regular grievance redressal meetings will be held between ORERA and H&UD officials to ensure time-bound solutions to citizen complaints.
These reforms signify a paradigm shift in Odisha’s real estate regulation, with a focus on protecting homebuyers’ interests, enhancing transparency, and enforcing builder accountability.
