Orissa High Court Orders Immediate Cleanup of Bali Yatra Grounds | Bhubaneswar News
Cuttack: Orissa high court on Thursday came down heavily on Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) for failing to clear garbage and debris from the Bali Yatra grounds, five days after conclusion of the annual maritime fair on Nov 23.
A division bench of Justices Sangam Kumar Sahoo and V Narasingh termed video footage of the littered grounds “disgusting” and ordered complete restoration within 48 hours.
The court’s directive came after the advocates’ committee, led by High Court Bar Association president Bijay Dash, highlighted that bamboo structures are still present and CMC officials didn’t monitor the cleanup operations.
National Green Tribunal (NGT), while permitting the fair at Killa Maidan and the reclaimed Mahanadi riverbed, had mandated in its Oct 2017 order that the site should be fully restored within nine days of the festival’s commencement.
This year Bali Yatra was held from Nov 15 to 23, following which CMC outsourced the cleanup work to a private agency for Rs 52 lakh, covering the period from Nov 13 to 30.
Appearing before the court, Cuttack district collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde assured that the agency would face penalties for missing cleanup deadlines as per their agreement. He said that remaining payments would be withheld until complete removal of debris.
The HC bench, which oversees suo motu PILs on Cuttack’s civic issues, will continue to monitor the situation.
A division bench of Justices Sangam Kumar Sahoo and V Narasingh termed video footage of the littered grounds “disgusting” and ordered complete restoration within 48 hours.
The court’s directive came after the advocates’ committee, led by High Court Bar Association president Bijay Dash, highlighted that bamboo structures are still present and CMC officials didn’t monitor the cleanup operations.
National Green Tribunal (NGT), while permitting the fair at Killa Maidan and the reclaimed Mahanadi riverbed, had mandated in its Oct 2017 order that the site should be fully restored within nine days of the festival’s commencement.
This year Bali Yatra was held from Nov 15 to 23, following which CMC outsourced the cleanup work to a private agency for Rs 52 lakh, covering the period from Nov 13 to 30.
Appearing before the court, Cuttack district collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde assured that the agency would face penalties for missing cleanup deadlines as per their agreement. He said that remaining payments would be withheld until complete removal of debris.
The HC bench, which oversees suo motu PILs on Cuttack’s civic issues, will continue to monitor the situation.
