Odisha: After demolition of old and dilapidated buildings in the vicinity of the Puri Shreemandir, from Marichakota Chhak till Temple office, the district civic administration began a fresh anti-encroachment drive from Digabareni square in the city on Thursday. The drive was carried out to clear the road of encroachments which were obstructing vehicular traffic.
“The new eviction drive is being carried out so that tourists can enjoy an unhindered view of sea beach from the road. We directed the vendors to put up stalls while giving adequate space for tourists to walk on the beach,” said Brundaban Pati, Officer in-charge of eviction drive. The illegal vendors were allegedly creating nuisance for the tourists and making the beach littered with disposable items and food.
On the other hand the evicted vendors complained that they are really unaware about why the government is doing this. “The sea beach is the source of income for us. We don’t have farmlands to fall back on for alternate sources of income” they claimed. The irate street vendors staged a road blockade and demanded rehabilitation and compensation.
In 2020, the Golden beach at Puri had been accorded the prestigious ‘Blue Flag’ certification by FEE Denmark. Blue Flag beaches are considered to be the cleanest beaches. Puri beach is one of the eight beaches in the country that has been accorded the coveted Blue Flag tag by the Foundation for Environment Education (FEE), Denmark.
