Nine-day ‘Mahanadi Utsav’ kicks off in Sambalpur
SAMBALPUR: The district administration on Wednesday launched the nine-day ‘Mahanadi Utsav’ here in a bid to encourage conservation of the river. The event, which will continue till December 23, is being jointly supervised by Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC), Water Resources and Tourism departments.
Enforcement officer of SMC Subhankar Mohanty said the event is being organised with an aim to encourage the participation of public in the conservation of Mahanadi and develop a sense of belongingness towards the river through a number of activities. Creating awareness among people would help in sustaining the cleanliness, beauty and continuity of Mahanadi.
On the first day, a mass cleaning drive was organised at Mahatma Gandhi Marg along the river. Hundreds of people participated in the drive which will be carried out along the riverside between Chaunrpur Mahanadi bridge and Samaleswari temple till Friday. Several other programmes will also be held over the next one week.
A boat race will be organised from Paltan Ghat to Anicut in Mahanadi along the Ring Road on December 18. On the same evening, a Mahanadi ‘aalati’ will be held at Samaleswari ghat view point. The next day, plantation drive will be carried out from the boating point at right dyke to zero point of Hirakud Dam Reservoir. A mass cleaning drive of the picnic spots near the dyke will also be held. Besides, an exhibition on local flora and fauna and competitions will be organised.
On December 20, activities such as Yoga sessions, storytelling and painting competition will be held at Gourisankar Sahani Park along the river. A pledge for clean Mahanadi will be administered to people. The next day, a mini-marathon will be organised and on December 22, a mass cleaning drive will be held near Jawahar Udyan in Hirakud. The event will conclude on December 23 with a Rangoli competition followed by cultural programmes.
Similar fest in Paradip
Paradip: The Jagatsinghpur administration kicked-off the 12-day ‘Nadi Utsav’ at Biju Maidan near Paradip beach here on Wednesday. Collector Parul Patawari inaugurated the festival which will continue till December 25. During the festival, various activities such as sand art, cleanliness drive, pledge for clean river, Yoga sessions, storytelling, painting and rangoli competitions will be organised.