Cuttack, Feb. 26: Orissa High Court today stayed the construction of a boundary wall around Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar.

The single-judge bench of Justice Biswanath Rath directed the authorities to maintain status quo in respect of the construction of the wall at Bhimpur.

The court issued the order in response to a petition seeking intervention against the construction. The petition had accused the authorities of initiating the project without any legitimate demarcation process.

Krutibas Mohanty and eight other local residents had filed the petition, accusing the authorities of forcibly going ahead with the construction by deploying police for the past two days.

Construction of the boundary wall on a stretch between Ganga Nagar and Bhimpur has been facing stiff opposition from the local people on the ground that it was illegally being erected by encroaching upon public access road. The local people are of the view that the process would narrow down the road in the locality.

As an interim measure, Justice Rath directed the general administration department to take a fresh measurement in presence of the residents, petitioners and the Airports Authority of India officials and then submit a report on March 4.

The status quo order on the spot will continue till then.

"The interim order wants the authorities to conduct a fresh measurement by taking into account the original revenue map of the locality," petitioners' counsel Bibhu Tripathy said.

The court posted the matter for hearing on March 4, along with the report and response of the Airports Authority of India, general administration department, Bhubaneswar Development Authority and the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation. Notices were issued accordingly.

The airports authority has been trying to construct the wall since 2006. Of the two boundaries that protect an airport, the inner one is the operational boundary while the outer one is the property boundary, which prevents trespassing.