BHUBANESWAR: Demolition of wall and gate of Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium during an eviction drive sparked off strong resentment among the locals.
A group of people led by former minister and former secretary of Kalahandi Athletics Association Rasabihari Behera on Saturday met Collector Dr Brundha D and lodged their protest against the demolition.
They said on December 11, the Executive Officer of Bhawanipatna Municipality had issued a notice to the association to demolish the wall of the stadium alleging encroachment of road. On December 14, general secretary of the association Jagamohan Pattnaik in a memorandum to the Collector, who is the president of the body, had appealed to stop demolition of the wall as there is no encroachment of road. But, the civic body went ahead with the drive and demolished the stadium wall on December 17.
Sources said the district administration has launched the drive recently to widen 10 roads of Bhawanipatna town.
The Collector said as per direction of the Orissa High Court in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the administration had launched the eviction drive.