All roads in the city are now leading to the Baliytra festival, and police sources said an estimated three lakh revellers visited the fairgrounds on Thursday evening; the day the week-long festival began. The fair also witnessed heavy footfalls on Friday with around five lakh visitors.
“looking at the pleasant climate and the fulsome enjoyment the festival is offering, the Baliyatra this year would witness record visitors,” said a senior police officer manning the traffic.
With mouthwatering food, plenty of joyrides, cultural evenings and a range of stalls showcasing household articles, the annual festival tops the must-visit list of many in the district and far-off areas.
According to official sources, the stalls set up by the Ormas did business worth nearly Rs30 lakh on the first day of the festival on Thursday when Panchayati Raj Minister Arun Sahu inaugurated the stalls.
Encouraged by winning the President’s medal for disabled welfare activities last year, the Cuttack district administration this year has set up around 30 stalls run by self-help groups (SHGs) in the fair.
These stalls are selling products made by disabled persons, and on the first day these stalls recorded a business worth Rs55,000, informed District Social Welfare Officer Ashok Kumar Mishra.
like previous year, the district administration has set up a temporary school at the fair under the National Child labour Project (NClP), in which at least 150 children who have come with their parents from different parts of the country are being taught. The administration is also providing free food and free study materials to these children.
The District Health Society, which has set up a stall in the Baliyatra to spread awareness about various diseases and their remedies, on the first day, gave polio drops to about 500 children in 0-5 year age group.