Odisha state to pay Rs 34.5 crore to SC in Amrapali case

The Odisha State Housing Board (OSHB) will pay the Supreme Court the Rs 34.5 crore it had received from Amrapali Group for developing a housing-cum-commercial project in Patrapada on a public-private partnership mode back in 2012, by November 14. The move came after the Supreme Court on Monday directed the housing board to pay the money it had received from the Group for leasing out two separate plots measuring up to 6.94 acres in Patrapada for the project. Sources said the housing board was in an agreement with the Group for the project, which never took off. “The total amount to be paid by the Amrapali Group was Rs 69 crore, of which we had received Rs 34.5 crore and inked a pact with the them for the project. Since they failed to deposit the final amount, we couldn’t proceed with the project. We will now take back the possession of the land we had leased out to them,” an official of the housing board said.