BERHAMPUR: The much-awaited beautification project at Gopalpur-on-sea in Ganjam district received a major jolt as its under-construction toilet complex on the beach got damaged due to high tides on Sunday.
The project, Gopalpur eco-retreat hub, being set up by Berhampur Development Authority (BeDA), had been facing trouble for the last couple of months after Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority (OCZMA) directed the district Collector to stop construction work for violation of Section 19 under Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Last year, the OCZMA officials had also asked the Collector to stop the project work, but the development authorities ignored the directive and continued its construction.
The hub is being set up over 45.44 acre of land under Udayapur mouza in Gopalpur. The facility will have 12 guest houses, two restaurants, food court, toilet complex and administrative building being set up at a cost of `8.96 crore. While construction of the toilet complex at a cost of `67 lakh is going on, around 60 per cent project work has been completed so far.
High tides have engulfed a large portion of beaches at different places in Ganjam district and even destroyed 27 houses in Ramayapatana village in the past one month. Earlier this month, the sea water, following high tide, also destroyed the guard wall of the children’s park and other structures of Gopalpur NAC.
When contacted, Secretary of BeDA Sambit Rout expressed his ignorance about the damage to the toilet complex. He claimed that the construction is going on as per the norms and denied allegations of any violation under CRZ. A technical team would visit the spot for verification, he added.
Earlier, members of Odisha Belabhumi Surakshya Parishad (OBSP), a social organisation working for protection of the coast, raised objection to the project. Outfit president Jagannath Bastia had lodged a complaint with the OCZMA in January stating that the sand beach acts like a wall between the sea tides and human habitations.