Bhubaneswar: In view of public demand, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Tuesday announced the extension of the historic Bali Jatra in Cuttack by one more day, while BJD demanded national festival status for the annual event.
Majhi, who is on a business trip to Singapore, said in an X post that Bali Jatra will now end November 23 instead of November 22. He said there is massive enthusiasm among people over the event.
The festival is organised on the banks of Mahanadi River every year to mark the time of the year when mariners from the state set sail to Bali, Sumatra and Java in Indonesia, Borneo and Sri Lanka in ancient times for the expansion of trade and culture.
This year, the festival started November 15.
The festival features numerous food stalls, amusement rides and cultural programmes.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJD came down heavily on the state government for several irregularities in the festival, and the death of a young man due to electrocution.
“The serious shortcomings of the state government and the district administration in the preparations are coming to the fore,” BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty alleged while speaking to reporters here.
Stating that Bali Jatra is the pride of the state, Mohanty alleged that Majhi was also annoyed when he found inadequate number of electric vehicles to ferry the foreign delegates on the inaugural day of the event.
“Bali Jatra is an Odia tradition. The double engine government must give it national recognition,” Mohanty said.
The BJD demanded Rs 20 lakh compensation for the family of the man who died due to electrocution in Bali Jatra.
PTI