Hotels encroach Puri beach

BHUBANESWAR: Some hotels on the seafront in Puri have encroached on the beach, according to a government survey. They are already under the scanner of National Green Tribunal (NGT) for unauthorized constructions in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
The housing and urban development (H&UD) department has identified eight hotels along Chakratirtha Road. The hotels have illegally occupied the beach and developed lawns.H&UD secretary G Mathivathanan on Thursday wrote a letter to collector (Puri) Dhiren Pattnaik and asked him to ensure removal of encroachments.
"The planning member of Puri Konark Development Authority (PKDA) found encroachment by eight hotels. The encroachment removal measure is part of the NGT order in connection with the violation of CRZ norm," said the letter.
"Some seaside hotels have encroached on the beach by erecting fences made of wood and wire for commercial purposes. I submitted my inquiry report to the government for action," PKDA planning member Subhendra Mishra told TOI.
Citizens doubt whether the order would ever materialize. "The errant hoteliers work hand in glove with some district officials. They would not allow the authorities to demolish their boundaries," said Debasis Das, a lawyer.
Officla sources said a number of notices and reminders were issued to the hotels in the past, but to no avail. Last year, the district administration had planned to construct a footpath from Digabareni Square to Chakratirtha Road by demolishing the encroached fences, but could not do so.
Last week, NGT asked PKDA to take action against 316 hotels for violation of CRZ norms. The CRZ norms prohibit construction activities close to the seashore.
"According to CRZ norms, hotels cannot exceed three storeys. Hotels should use only 33% of the land for construction and leave the rest space vacant. But several hotels have flouted the norm. The state government has never carried out any demolition of unauthorized hotels in Puri," said Jagannath Basita, president of Beach Protection Council of Odisha, a voluntary organization.