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BJD Questions ₹3.31 Crore Renovation Cost for Odisha CM Residences
An RTI request found that the Odisha government spent about ₹3.31 crore repairing two official homes used by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
The work took place during two financial years.
Most of the money was spent on one home, and the rest was spent on another.
The Biju Janata Dal said the spending was too luxurious while people in the state face problems.
It compared the situation to Nero playing music while Rome burned.
The government department said some approval details could not be shared because Majhi has high-level security protection.
The department said protecting his official home is part of the state’s security system.
The Chief Minister’s Office and the Bharatiya Janata Party had not publicly responded to the criticism.
An RTI response showed that ₹3.31 crore was spent renovating Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s two official residences.
The spending included ₹2,32,52,855 at Quarter No. VIIDS-1 in Unit-V and ₹98,56,883 at Government Quarter No. B-1 in Unit-II.
The works were carried out during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years.
The General Administration and Public Grievance Department declined to disclose administrative and technical approvals, citing security concerns.
The Biju Janata Dal criticized the expenditure, while the Chief Minister’s Office and the Bharatiya Janata Party had not responded to the allegations.
- Who
- The Biju Janata Dal, activist P K Pradhan, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, and the General Administration and Public Grievance Department are central to the report.
- What
- An RTI response revealed ₹3.31 crore in repair and renovation spending on the chief minister’s two official residences.
- Where
- The residences are in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, at Unit-V and Unit-II.
- When
- The spending occurred during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years; the report is dated September 19.
- Why
- The department cited security concerns for withholding approval details, while the Biju Janata Dal criticized the spending as excessive.
BJD criticism
Government security rationale
Renovation spending
BJD criticism
The Biju Janata Dal said spending ₹3.31 crore on two official residences showed a luxurious mindset and was unjustifiable while Odisha faced pressing problems.
Government security rationale
The government department confirmed the expenditure but did not provide a public defense of its cost in the reported response.
Disclosure of approvals
BJD criticism
The RTI disclosure raised questions for the Biju Janata Dal about how the renovation work was approved and justified.
Government security rationale
The General Administration and Public Grievance Department said administrative and technical approvals could not be disclosed because the chief minister is a Z+ protectee and residence security is part of the wider security architecture.
Key facts
- Total expenditure
- ₹3,31,09,738, or about ₹3.31 crore
- Unit-V residence
- ₹2,32,52,855 spent at Quarter No. VIIDS-1
- Unit-II residence
- ₹98,56,883 spent at Government Quarter No. B-1
- Spending period
- Financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26
- Information source
- An RTI query by activist P K Pradhan
- Withheld information
- Administrative and technical approvals were not disclosed, citing security concerns
- Security status
- The department said Mohan Charan Majhi is a Z+ protectee
Quotes
Lenin Mohanty
BJD spokesperson criticizing expenditure on the Odisha chief minister’s residences.
“The BJP had promised to make Odisha the number one state in the country, but its government has become number one in inefficiency. It would not be an exaggeration to say that among all the parties that have come to power in Odisha, the BJP stands first in terms of inefficiency.”
theprint.in
“While claiming to be a chief minister of the masses, maintaining two residences in the first place and spending a huge amount from the state exchequer on their repair and upgradation reflects Majhi’s luxurious mindset.”
theprint.in
Sources
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