Cuttack, May 23: Six kalyan mandaps (banquet halls) at Barabati Stadium here have been spared the axe by the municipal corporation despite issuing closure notices.

The civic body had issued closure notices to 104 kalyan mandaps, which had been operating without obtaining a licence from it. It had sealed 41 such venues since May 17, following a high court order.

The high court, on March 16, had issued an order for closure of the 104 kalyan mandaps, which had not applied for licence. The corporation had submitted a list of 180 such banquet halls and stated that it had received licence applications from owners of 76 such venues by March 1.

In its order, the court had restricted the civic body from allowing the owners of the 104 kalyan mandaps to apply for licence.

Six banquet halls at Barabati Stadium (the most sought after in the city) - Barabati Guest House, Barabati Palace, Horse Gate Barabati, Club House, OCA Club and Tendulkar Bhavan - were among the 104.

Official sources, on condition of anonymity, said closure notices issued to these six halls had been withdrawn on the plea that the Odisha Olympic Association, the caretaker of Barabati Stadium, had submitted a joint application for licence for the venues. Following this, the six kalyan mandaps were given the opportunity to submit individual applications.

Municipal commissioner Gyana Das neither confirmed nor denied this.

"It was found that the Odisha Olympic Association had submitted a joint application on March 16. We are examining the matter," Das told The Telegraph.

Civic officials, on the other hand, conceded that around 30 among the 104 kalyan mandaps were either not found or non-existing or closed after issue of closure notices.

In a related development, inclement weather conditions held up the closure operation by the civic body since Friday. "In the first three days, we sealed 41 kalyan mandaps operating without licence within Lalbag, Bidanasi, Badambadi, Chauliaganj, Madhupatna and Manglabag police limits. But, we suspended the operation because of the rain on Friday," said Cuttack Municipal Commission's additional commissioner Suman Behera.

"The operation has resumed today. We have targeted least 13 kalyan mandaps - 10 within Purighat and three within Markatnagar police limits," said Cuttack Municipal Commission's additional commissioner Suman Behera.

The high court has been adjudicating on a PIL on the functioning of kalyan mandaps without parking area and proper mode of solid waste disposal.The court was concerned by the traffic chaos these marriage halls were creating by increasing congestion on roads in different parts of the city. The approach roads to these mandaps were not suitable for parking vehicles.