No action has been taken to make the Ratha Danda (street for chariot roll) of Baladevejew encroachment free, though more than five years have passed to a Government direction in this regard.
Notably, on December 17, 2007, the then law Minister had passed okayed a proposal for developmental work of the Baladevjew temple and also the road. Subsequently, in 2009, the the Endowment Commissioner had directed the district administration to take immediate steps to dislodge the encroachments on the road of the temple.
According to the Sevayats of the Baladevjew temple, nearly 40 locals allegedly have encroached upon the road at several places. Even some of them have illegally erected permanent structure on the road space. As a result, the road has shrunk narrow creating problem for the pulling of the lord’s chariot during the Ratha Yatra.
During the Ratha Yatra preparatory meeting last year, the Sevayats and Endowment Committee members had resented administration’s inability to clear the illegal structures on the road and had demanded immediate action from the administration.
Following this, former district Collector Niranjan Nayak had directed Sub Collector Pratap Kumar Mishra and local Tehsildar Dharitri Mishra to carry out the eviction drive after demarcating the actual area of the road. later, a demarcation work was undertaken for five days in the presence of senior officials and police. But it was stopped midway taking a plea of law and order situation.
When contacted, Sub Collector Pratap Kumar Mishra stated that the eviction drive was going to be carried out once again when the second phase eviction drive of the Kendrapara main road would be taken up.
“We would carry out the developmental work at the Ratha Danda soon. There is a project worth Rs2 crore for drainage and widening of the road,” stated Mishra.