Puri: The state government has directed the district administration and the municipal authorities to remove encroachments on the beach here and declare the area as a no-vending zone. This follows an intervention by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
In a directive issued this week, chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi has also asked the district administration not to allow any trade fair on the beach. The administration can, however, organise cultural events there. According to sources, Padhi had recently convened a high-level meeting at the Secretariat in Bhubaneswar to finalise a strategy for making the beach a pollution-free tourism destination.
Notably, the National Green Tribunal has expressed concern over several pollution-related issues here and sought a reply from the chief secretary August 2. This followed the filing of a PIL by one Subhas Datta of Kolkata, with the NGT, seeking its intervention to check pollution in the pilgrim city. Based on this, the chief secretary has directed the police and the municipal administration to evict vendors on the beach from Digabareni to Chaitanya Square, and declare the area as a no-vending zone.
“The chief secretary has also asked the Sewerage Board to set up a sewage treatment plant (STP) and pumping station at the Banki mouth area to check beach pollution,” an official said.
He said the CS has also directed the Sewerage Board to set up another STP at Mangalaghat to check the release of untreated sewage into the sea. The urban development secretary would oversee the project. “The CS has directed the civic body to take action against vendors selling fast-food near the Swargadwar cremation ground. He also asked the municipal authorities to repair a defunct eco-friendly crematorium at Swargadwar,” said the official.
It is learnt that the CS has directed the Orissa coastal zone management authority to preserve the fresh water reserve land located close to the beach. Similarly, he has advised the urban development department to preserve the fresh water reserve lands located elsewhere in the city.
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