Cuttack, Jan. 30: Orissa High Court has admitted a PIL seeking intervention against the illegal encroachments on government-owned land at Idgah ground.

It is on this ground that the demand for a separate state of Odisha was raised for the first time on linguistic basis 111 years ago. In 1903, the Utkal Sammilani founded had its first conference there.

The High Court has issued notices to state housing and urban development department secretary, the district collector and tahsildar to file replies.

On December 30, 2003, chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated a centenary memorial pillar of the Utkal Sammilani on the ground. On that day, Naveen announced the allotment of over half acre land for the construction of a memorial building of the Utkal Sammilani on the ground.

The petition has sought the High Court's directive to the state government to remove all encroachments and illegal constructions on the Idgah ground.

State president of Utkal Sammilani Guru Prasad Mohanty filed the PIL, along with retired professor of Ravenshaw College Shyam Sunder Mishra, retired headmaster of Cuttack Secondary Board High School Bishnu Charan Jena, Odia monthly Adhuna's former editor Raghunath Mohapatra and advocate Jagdish Mohanty.

The petition came up before the bench, which has been hearing public interest litigations on civic problems in the city from January 16. 'After a preliminary hearing, the division bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice S.C. Parija had admitted the petition and sought response from the government by January 30,' petitioners' counsel Gokulananda Patnaik said.

The PIL, however, was not listed for hearing by the bench today.