Orissa High Court asks Centre to expedite relocation of poultry farm

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the Centre to expedite shifting of the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO), eastern region located at Nayapalli in Bhubaneswar.The court was hearing on Monday a PIL seeking relocation of the CPDO, which is posing threat to the environment.The HC felt it was not clear from the affidavits whether any steps have been taken in the last five years to shift the poultry breeding farm to an identified location.

Accordingly, the division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice SK Panigrahi said, “The Secretary to Government of India (GOI)’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying is directed to convene a meeting in the next two weeks, which will be attended by the Chairman and Secretary of the State Pollution Control Board, 

State department of Forest and Environment as well as the Director, CPDO to chalk out a time bound plan for shifting of the CPDO to a location that has already been identified.”The bench further directed the Secretary to Government of India (GOI)’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to file affidavit placing on record the minutes of those proceedings within three weeks, while fixing November 17 as the next date for further consideration of the matter.

One Laxman Kumar Behera, a resident of the city had filed the petition. According to case records the CPDO was planned to be shifted from Nayapalli to Baranga in Cuttack. After the Centre gave its nod to the State government’s proposal to relocate the poultry breeding farm, for which 25 acre of land has been identified at Talagada near Baranga and land acquisition for the same has been completed. A budget of `12 crore has been estimated for construction and relocation of the CPDO.