BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said the issue of allotment of houses under discretionary quota would be examined by the State Government even as the demand for the resignation of Law and Rural Development Minister Bikram Keshari Arukh continued.The Opposition also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the issue. “This could not have taken place without the knowledge of the Chief Minister and he should also resign,” OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik said. BJP vice-president Ashok Sahu also demanded his resignation. “The minister has to return the house acquired under discretionary quota and resign,” Sahu added.Naveen told mediapersons here that appropriate action would be taken after the inquiry. To a question on the admission of Arukh that he had availed of two houses from Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) under the discretionary quota, he said the matter was being looked into.Lokpal Justice PK Patra is investigating the allegation. Sources said that a notice had already been sent to the minister.Ducking a question on his possible resignation in the wake of the controversy, Arukh had said on Tuesday that he would abide by the Chief Minister’s direction. “As the Chief Minister is looking into the matter, I will go by his words,” he said after offering to surrender one of the allotted houses. A first-time minister, he hails from Ganjam district.Arukh had been allotted two houses by BDA, one at Kalinga Vihar in the name of his wife Jaylaxmi Arukh in 2007 and another in his name at Pokhariput area in 2009. The minister also claimed that he did not indulge in any act of illegality as there was no provision of informing BDA on whether he had owned a house in Bhubaneswar Master Plan area before applying for a house at Pokhariput.
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