Bhubaneswar: In relief to homebuyers, the state govt on Monday appointed Usha Padhee, who is the principal secretary of housing and urban development department, as the interim chairperson of Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority (ORERA). The govt move comes two days after the third and only member of ORERA retired, making the authority virtually defunct. The chairperson, Siddhanta Das, exited the office in Feb, while the chairperson (in-charge), Gopal Chandra Patnaik, retired on Saturday.The member (admin), Pradeep Biswal, also retired on May 2. With the appointment of Padhee as the interim chairperson, ORERA can at least continue with its basic functions rather than being completely defunct, sources said.”In exercise of the powers conferred by the third provision to sub-section (1) of Section 20 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, the state govt hereby designates the principal secretary to govt, housing and urban development department, as the regulatory authority for the purpose of the said Act until further orders,” reads the office order.In another positive development, sources close to the housing and urban development department also told TOI that the selection of the regular chairperson and members was finalised by the selection committee last Thursday and the file is currently pending with the CMO.”ORERA has been playing a crucial role in protecting the homebuyer’s interest. Over the years, people have started building trust in the authority and many fraudulent activities of buyers have subdued,” Patia resident Debadutta Nayak said.ORERA plays a crucial role in regulating the real estate sector. From registration of projects to agents, the ORERA has brought veracity to real estate. In the past year, it also made many crucial decisions and protected the homebuyers to a great extent.