Environmentalists up in arms
Environmentalists are up in arms against the Drainage Division of Puri district and the Odisha Construction Corporation ltd (OCC) for damaging the natural ecology and beauty of the sea beach and violating the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
President of Beach Protection Council Jagannath Bastia in a petition filed with the State Coastal Zone Management Authority (SCZMA) and the District Magistrate has alleged that the OCC, which is entrusted by the Drainage Division to lay a storm water disposal pipeline along the beach from the Raj Bhavan to the Special Circuit House, is constructing a temporary road on the beach using hundreds of truck loads of morrum to facilitate laying of pipeline.
Morrum is a red colour construction material used for bond in the metals used for laying roads. The morrum-washed rainwater has changed the colour of the sandy beach. This is blatant violation of the CRZ norms by a Government department, a public sector undertaking and the Drainage Division, Bastia alleged.
In his petition, Bastia has pleaded with the concerned authorities to stop defacing the beach by removing the morrum at the earliest. legal action against the Drainage Division, the OCC and the contractor would be initiated in proper forum, Bastia said.
It is learnt that the Drainage Division has got clearance from the SCZMA for laying the pipeline for disposal of storm water from the beach. It had entrusted the job to the OCC, which further allotted the work to a contractor for execution. The contractor has used morrum, a banned material for beach, in huge quantity to develop a road on the middle of the beach.
When contacted, the Drainage Division Executive Engineer said the contractor has been constructing a temporary road to transport construction materials to the site.
In the meantime, the contractor in order to avoid legal action has covered the morrum road with sand which is very damaging for the beach. Bastia demanded urgent intervention by the authorities to protect the beach.