Cuttack: After the end of the stalemate over the ‘mandatory’ no objection certificate (NOC), the process of allocation of plots for setting up stalls at the Bali Yatra ground here began on Sunday.
The Traders’ Association and district administration had been at loggerheads after the latter, Friday, released a fresh notification after fixing the rent of the stalls and made NOC compulsory for allotment of plots.
The traders’ association opposed the move and said that the stalls would not be opened if the NOC decision was not withdrawn.
Traders have agreed to pay Rs 33 per sq ft of land to be taken as lease to erect their makeshift stalls for the 10-day-long festival beginning November 23.
“The rate, however, is fixed only for those who are members of the Bali Yatra Byabasayee Sangha,” said its secretary Sukant Mohanty.
The traders participating in the fair for the first time will have to pay a price as fixed by the district administration, Mohanty added.
An area of nearly 40 acres at the lower Bali Yatra ground and another 10 acres at the upper ground have been mapped by the local tehsildar to be given on lease to the traders for putting up their stalls.