Encroachment chokes Atharnala

PURI: The Orissa Water Supply and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) has encroached on a large stretch of Atharnala river bed at the entrance of the Pilgrim town.The Board has constructed as many as 35 manholes measuring 300 metre by encroaching on 35 feet area of the river bed. This has squeezed the flow of water in the river. Sources said OWSSB has carried out the construction on the pretext of beautifying the river.

Recently, a complaint in this regard was lodged by environmentalist Jagannath Bastia with the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change. “There is every possibility of the water body getting polluted in the event of any leakage in the sewerage system,” Bastia said.

He further said crores of rupees have been spent under the Centre’s Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme. The Ministry on December 29 had asked the State Environment Director to file a status report in this regard.

Besides, the National River Conservation Directorate has also directed the State Government to conduct an inquiry into the ongoing construction activities on the river bed and file a report.

Bastia said the construction has been carried out in violation of the direction of the Supreme Court. The apex court, while disposing of a PIL, had ruled that no water body would be converted into land mass and natural flow of water should not be obstructed.

The Union Government has also constituted a special department ‘Central Wetland Conservation and Regulating Authority’ for the purpose, he said and added that the State Forest and Environment department has directed all district Collectors and the authorities concerned not to allow transformation of water bodies into land mass.