Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a detailed set of guidelines and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the upcoming Khandagiri Mela.
After a preparatory meeting held on Tuesday, the BMC cautioned that any obscene performance during the Khandagiri Jatra will lead to the immediate cancellation of the event’s No Objection Certificate (NOC). This directive was issued following a meeting held with all jatra committees at the South-East Zone office.
The meeting was attended by senior BMC officials, police representatives, corporators, and local stakeholders, where concerns over maintaining discipline and cultural sanctity during the festival were discussed. The famous Khandagiri Magha Mela, scheduled to be held from January 25 for 10 days this year, attracts thousands of devotees and visitors every year.
During the meeting, BMC officials emphasised that the mela is not only a religious gathering but also a cultural heritage event, and therefore must be conducted with dignity. The SOP issued by BMC specifically bans obscene dances, vulgar dialogues and item numbers in Jatra performances. The corporation has made it clear that any troupe violating these norms will face immediate cancellation of their shows and possible legal action.
The SOP also outlines monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance. Dedicated enforcement teams will be deployed at each of the 7 Jatra pandals to oversee performances. These teams will have the authority to stop any act that violates the guidelines.
In addition, the BMC has directed organisers to submit details of their programs in advance, so that authorities can review and approve them before staging. As part of the festivities, Jatra (opera) performances are staged at multiple pandals near Khandagiri and Udayagiri hills. However, concerns have grown in recent years over the inclusion of item dances, provocative acts and abusive language in some performances. Representatives of Jatra Committees agreed to abide by the rules.
Beyond cultural safeguards, the SOP includes measures for crowd management, sanitation, and traffic regulation. The BMC has instructed sanitation workers to maintain cleanliness around the mela grounds, while police will implement traffic diversions to manage the heavy influx of visitors. Emergency response teams and medical facilities will also be stationed nearby to handle any untoward incidents.
