With an avid nature lover Susanta Nanda at the helm of the Chilika Development Authority (CDA), Chilika is not only making tourists happy but also brightening their souls with major improvements of the Kalijai Island and the temple surroundings.

Nanda, Chief Executive of CDA, who initiated a campaign for plastic and garbage free iconic Kalijai Island, is a happy mandarin as devotees visiting the shrine are feeling the blissful atmosphere in the island.

Thousands of devotees visit the shrine which was built in 1717 by the King of Banpur Raja Jagannath Mansingh.

Kalijai is immortalised by legendary poet Godabarish Misra. A Goddess, she is worshiped with reverence by devotees across the State. The divine island spreads over an area of 45 acres. The CDA has made arrangements for improvement of the island and the shrine surroundings in a nice manner and there is a marked difference between earlier days of Kalijai and present look of the area.

As the prime step, Chilika was made plastic free and the lagoon was kept safe from further degradation.

Systematic campaign was taken up by CDA, which has resulted in positive improvement of the island and the shrine.

Tonnes of garbage were collected and safely disposed of. There was huge interest among the participants and the tourist alike in the divine journey.

The campaign is continuing and significant improvements have been made. The CDA has involved all the stakeholders, local community, boat owners, NGOs and others, which paid dividends.