Cuttack: Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Justice K S Jhaveri led by example as he joined the ‘Mo Cuttack Cycle Rally’ on Sunday to raise awareness about reducing vehicular pollution and congestion during Bali Jatra.
The rally was flagged off from Stadium Chhakk and culminated at the Bali Jatra Ground.
Cuttack Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani, CMC Commissioner Ananya Das, Commissioner of Police Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Sudhanshu Sarangi and DCP Akhileshwar Singh attended the event.
The Chief Justice urged everyone to use cycles during Bali Jatra visit. “This will not only reduce pressure on the management but people will enjoy the event more. We need to start working towards reducing the global warming from today,” he said.
Cuttack Collector urged everyone to choose cycles or cycle rickshaws when visiting Bali Jatra. “This will help to achieve the objective of a pollution-free Bali Jatra,” he said.
Students from different schools also participated in the rally.
The event was organized by the Cuttack District Administration in association with CRUT(Capital Region Urban Transport. While CRUT supplied with 200 cycles for the event, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation chipped in with 150 cycles.
On Friday, Housing and Urban Development Minister Pratap Jena had announced the Odisha government’s decision to recognise the annual Bali Jatra as a state-level festival.
It is aimed at harnessing the tourism and cultural potential of the centuries-old fair, which is spread over over acres of land and houses an estimated 1500 stalls.
The Bali Jatra (meaning voyage to Bali) is organized every year in Cuttack to commemorate and celebrate the maritime tradition and heritage of Odisha, which was known in ancient times as Kalinga, with the South-east Asian region, including Bali (now in Indonesia).
This year, the fair will be held from November 12 to 19.
