Cuttack, Oct 24 (PTI) The holdup over next monthÂ’sBaliyatra festival here on account of hike in rent of leasedland was removed today as the district administration decidedto slash the rate by another 50 paise per square foot.
The Baliyatra TradersÂ’ Association, which wasspearheading the protest against the rent hike, called off itsprotest following the cut in the proposed hike and indicatedthat the traders would start booking spaces in the festivalgrounds from tomorrow.
“The proposed hike in rent was slashed by Rs 1 in twophases due to our consistent resistance,” said the Associationsecretary Debi Prasad Das after a meeting with the districtcollector. He said the rent, license fee, users’ fee for thetrades would not be hiked for the next three years.
Announcing the decision of slashing the rent hike,Cuttack Sadar Tehsildar Sanjeebita Ray said a trader would nowpay Rs 27 per square foot of land to be taken as lease toerect the make-shift stalls for the week-long festivalbeginning from November 4.
The tehsildar said of the Rs 27 collected, Rs 2 eachwould go towards sanitation and usersÂ’ fee of the civic bodyand fire department, respectively. The remaining Rs 23collected per square foot would be shared between the tehsiloffice and the city civic body.
The annual Balijatra festival is held in Cuttack atGadagadia Ghata of the Mahanadi river, to mark ancient'Sadhabas' (Odia mariners) setting sail to distant lands ofBali, as well as Java, Sumatra, Borneo (in Indonesia), and SriLanka for trade and cultural expansion. PTI COR AAMJM.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.