Paradip MlA and Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Damodar Rout inaugurated the Kalinga Baliyatra Mahotsav-2013 here with much fanfare on Saturday evening.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and labour Minister Bijayshree Routray were scheduled to attend the function’s inaugural ceremony but the former had to skip it for Phailin and the latter did not make it due to the Bhushan blast.
Kalinga Baliyatra Committee (KBC) chairman cum Jagatsinghpur District Collector Satya Kumar Mallick presided, while KBC vice chairman and Paradip ADM Dr Ramakrushna Sahoo introduced the guests. The guests were Jagatsinghpur MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai, Erasama Balikuda MlA Prasant Kumar Muduli, Jagatsinghpur Zilla Parishad president Debidutta Mohanty, Paradip Port Trust Chairman Sudhanshu Sekhara Mishra, Secretary MSME Panchanan Das, Senior Manager NSIC, India PC Naik, Chairman Paradip Municipality Manjulata Jena, SP Jagatsinghpur Satyabrata Bhoi, executive officer, Paradip Municipality Sharada Prasanna Panda and Kujanga Tehsildar RK Kanhara. The ministers and political leaders were brought to the meeting venue by a huge procession with bursting of fire crackers and drum beating.
Around 20 shops had been opened and preparation was in full swing for opening of other stalls. Due to spiraling market prices, the vendors came in less number, anticipating that the visitors may not buy in big amount. The festival will have cultural programmes everyday till end of the Yatra on November 22.