BHUBANESWAR : Amid gross mismanagement of Balijatra fair this year which has also resulted in the loss of life of a boy, Cuttack-Barabati MLA Sofia Firdouson Monday lashed out at the collector and police for the lapses which included insulting Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
If the inaugural day fiasco when the administration did not arrange carts for the dignitaries left the chief minister fuming was not enough, Firdous said, such has been the disdain for the top-most state authority by the administration that the CM’s name was also missing from the Balijatra invitation cards.
“The authorities concerned have treated Balijatra as a private event. All arrangements have been made as per the whims and fancies of officials involved in the fair,” she said.
Referring to the humiliation of singer Asima Panda, whose cultural show at Balijatra was stopped midway by police, Firdous said the police officials had no right to climb up the stage when the show was underway and ill-treat the singer.
The MLA said if officers want to work in Cuttack, they have to treat everyone with respect. “Else, they are free to leave the city. Not just the singer who was forcefully brought down the stage, the sahi chiefs of Cuttack were also ill-treated. They were not allowed to enter the stage area,” she said.
Launching a scathing attack on collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde and police, Firdous warned such behaviour will not be tolerated.