Forest dept demolishes ex-minister Damodar Rout’s statue at Siali beach, triggers row

Kendrapada: The forest department late on Friday night demolished a statue of former minister Damodar Rout near Siali beach in Jagatsinghpur district, citing violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and forest laws, triggering sharp political reactions on Saturday.Officials said the half-bust statue had been erected illegally on forest land barely 200 m from the shoreline, well within the prohibited CRZ area. “We had last week advised the Siali Balijatra Committee not to erect any statue on forest land. Despite this, it was installed on Thursday night, violating CRZ provisions and the Forest Act,” said Kujang forest range officer Sanjay Pradhan.He said the pedestal was demolished and the statue removed on Friday, two days ahead of its scheduled unveiling. “The construction violated the Environment Protection Act and other environmental laws meant to protect coastal habitats,” Pradhan said, adding that the department had demolished a sea erosion-hit guest house at Siali village two years ago under similar circumstances.The demolition snowballed into a controversy, with local leaders and residents criticising the timing of the action. Alleging ulterior motives, Siali Balijatra Committee chairman Nirakar Swain said forest officials also removed a commemorative plaque.Swain said Rout, who died on March 22, 2024, aged 81, was a six-time MLA from Ersama and Paradip and served as minister under chief ministers Biju Patnaik and Naveen Patnaik. He was regarded as a protégé of Biju Patnaik.Jagatsinghpur MP and BJP leader Bibhu Prasad Tarai said Rout’s five-decade-long political career deserved respect and the statue should not have been demolished.