NGT Panel Report Throws Spanner In Bali Jatra Plans In Odisha’s Cuttack City

Cuttack:  With an expert committee formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) terming the reclamation of 426 acres of land on the Mahanadi riverbed illegal, the administration in Cuttack is in a dilemma over holding the much-awaited Bali Jatra festival this year.

The administration had planned to conduct the historic Bali Jatra in a grand way as the festival could not be held for the past two years due to COVID restrictions. However, the NGT panel has recommended against the expansion of ground by 34 acres near Gadagadia ghat in the Millennium City of Odisha, reports said.

On August 20, the district administration held a preparatory meeting with officials of Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) about organising Bali Jatra from November 8 to 14.

The administration had planned to expand the festival area to 100 acres anticipating a large number of visitors after a gap of two years. A blueprint was drawn up for the purpose and around 40 acres of land would have been kept reserved exclusively for the parking of vehicles, sources said.

However, the NGT committee in its report has recommended direction to the state government to refrain from undertaking any activity on 426-acre land on the Mahanadi river bed and the banks. The panel gave its report after conducting a field visit and reviewed the Mahanadi upstream of Jobra Barrage in Cuttack on July 13 to ensure enforcement of applicable rules to prevent irreversible damage to the river’s floodplain and associated issues relating to ecology, hydrology, environment and bio-diversity, they said.

The seven-member panel further urged the tribunal to ask the government to refrain from dumping any solid material (sand and/or solid waste), dredging of remaining islands in the pondage area and removing encroachments including unauthorised religious structures on the floodplain.

However, Cuttack Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani has reportedly claimed that the report of the committee is not based on a unanimous opinion.

Sources said the NGT will have to examine the matter in light of the report of another five-member committee submitted earlier. Objections to the report filed by the Water Resources department, the report of the seven-member committee which came later and the favourable note of a member has been submitted to NGT for examination and appropriate action.