Affidavit by Dillip Kumar Samantaray regarding encroachments taking place on the flood plains of the river Mahanadi dated 14/12/2020.

The district administration of Cuttack has taken a project on Mahanadi riverbed in the name of Baliyatra River Front Improvement Project (BARFI). The sand dredged from the river was being filled in a river area close to embankment/ ring road and the height of the riverbed was being elevated so as to use those patches of land for developmental and recreational purposes. The height of the riverbed has already been elevated by more than 6 feet by dumping the sand excavated from the river.

[2]

The encroachment into the river Kathajodi and Mahanadi has been a continuous process and over the period, more of the river and floodplain area was being converted into parking area, parks, temples and many other infrastructure projects like OTDC River Cruise Project by dumping debris and solid waste, thereby elevating the river bed from its original level.