CUTTACK: Responding to a proposal by the Advocates’ Committee to use the Upper Balijatra Ground on Killamaidan exclusively for parking of vehicles and locate all the stalls in the Lower Balijatra Ground on the reclaimed land on the Mahanadi riverbed, the Orissa High Court has directed the state authorities to submit a feasibility report within one week.
Balijatra in Cuttack will be held from November 15 to November 23. President of High Court Bar Association Bijay Dash, who heads the Advocates’ Committee constituted by the court gave the proposal during a sitting of the special bench for dealing with civic issues.
According to a copy of the court’s order, the committee raised alarm that since stalls are opened in both Upper Balijatra Ground and Lower Balijatra Ground and the crowd passes from one to the other, there is heavy rush particularly on the Ring Road which falls in between, resulting in accidents. Even ambulances carrying patients to SCB MCH face immense difficulty.
Therefore, if all the stalls are located in the Lower Balijatra Ground and the upper cround is used for parking purpose of the vehicles, the problem can be addressed to a great extent. Huge space is readily available in the lower ground for accommodating all the stalls, the committee suggested.
Taking it on record, the bench of Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh said, “Let the collector, Cuttack convene a meeting of different authorities who are involved in organising Balijatra including DCP Cuttack and CMC commissioner for a discussion regarding feasibility of shifting the stalls of Upper Balijatra Padia to Lower Balijatra Padia and for utilising the Upper Balijatra Padia as parking space for the vehicles.”
The bench posted the matter to November 7 for further consideration. The outcome of the proposal would assume significance as the National Green Tribunal had on September 21, 2022, prohibited permanent structure or concretisation of any sort in the entire 426 acre of reclaimed riverbed land and allowed Balijatra in only 34 acre near Gadgadia ghat.