No vending on Bada Danda during Rath Yatra, Puri civic body tells HC

Cuttack: The Orissa high court on Wednesday disposed of a PIL seeking intervention against commercial activities in Bada Danda (Grand Road) during Rath Yatra after Puri municipality gave an undertaking that no vending zone would be established and no licence would be granted for opening of shops in the 2.5-km stretch of National Highway from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple.
Puri town resident Rajat Kumar Sahoo filed the petition alleging that municipality had issued quotations for auction and allotting licences for commercial vending in Bada Danda, while the National Highway Authority (NHAI) had issued No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for public utilities stalls.
Senior advocate P K Rath made submissions on behalf of the petitioner, while advocate P Mohanty represented Puri municipality. The dispute centred round the contention that Puri municipality has no authority to allow vending zones and grant temporary licence for carrying on business on Bada Danda as it has been declared as National Highway no. 203 by NHAI.
According to records, the NHAI declared Bada Danda as NH-203 on July 22, 2002, after Puri roads and buildings division handed over 2.5-km stretch of Bada Danda from Singhadwara of Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple (having width varying from 39 metres to 41 metres) to NHAI, Bhubaneswar, on April 17, 2002.
During the course of hearing, Puri Municipality gave in the court an undertaking that it will strictly adhere to conditions set out in the NOC granted by NHAI.Taking into consideration the undertaking the two-judge bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho felt there was no need for the court’s interference in the matter.
The bench was of the view that the undertaking so given shall be given effect to and the municipal authorities will not have a vending zone or grant licence either permanent or temporary for construction of any shop room on the Bada Danda from Bada Sankha to Gundicha Temple, which has been declared as NH. The HC issued similar orders on PILs involving the same allegations against Puri municipality filed on the eve of Rath Yatra in 2016 and 2017.