The handover dispute at Bhubaneswar’s Dhauli Heights housing project has intensified after the association of allottees alleged that the Odisha Cooperative Housing Corporation (OCHC) is imposing different conditions before allowing beneficiaries access to their flats for interior and furnishing work. OCHC has said the keys are being issued only to facilitate such work and that the documentation process is lawful.
The association submitted a representation to OCHC, the executing agency for the premium housing project, objecting to the manner in which the key-access process was initiated. It alleged that a notice was displayed at the corporation’s office on October 27 without individual communication to all allottees. According to the association, only a limited number of beneficiaries were contacted by phone and asked to visit the OCHC office with stamp papers to execute agreements.
The allottees’ association said the project’s possession process had already been delayed and argued that additional conditions should not be imposed for access to the flats. One allottee alleged that OCHC was attempting to alter the process after the delay in handing over possession, while the association said the conditions could create unequal treatment among beneficiaries.
The association also alleged that separate agreements were being prepared depending on whether allottees had approached the Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority, or had execution proceedings pending. It further claimed that some beneficiaries were being asked to provide undertakings connected to ongoing legal disputes.
“We have waited nearly 14 years for our homes. Since OCHC itself is not handing over possession at this stage, there is no justification for asking allottees to sign agreements or undertakings affecting their legal rights merely to access their flats for interior and furnishing work,” N Shiva Kumar, an office-bearer of the association, said.
The association has demanded that keys be provided to all eligible allottees on a uniform and unconditional basis for interior and furnishing work. It said a common agreement, rather than separate documents based on an allottee’s legal position, would prevent divisions among beneficiaries. The association described the current process as an attempt to adopt a “divide and rule” approach, an allegation that OCHC has not accepted.
OCHC officials maintained that there is no formal handover of the flats at present. A senior OCHC official said the keys were being provided only to enable interior and furnishing work and that the required documentation formed part of that process.
“The keys are being given only to facilitate interior and furnishing work. Necessary documentation is being undertaken as part of the process. The corporation is acting in accordance with the law,” the official said.
The immediate dispute therefore concerns the conditions attached to temporary access rather than a completed transfer of possession. The association is seeking a uniform process for all beneficiaries, while OCHC maintains that documentation is legally required before access is granted. The next step will depend on how the corporation responds to the association’s representation and whether the key-access procedure is revised or continued in its current form.
