Bhubaneswar, May 25: Sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik today returned the land given to him by the state government for a proposed sand art park. Patnaik said he was disappointed with the terms and conditions that were attached to the plot.

Situated at the far end of Puri towards Talabania, the plot was provided to him in 2011 to develop an international-standard sand art park. Today, he met the Puri district collector and handed him a letter addressed to chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

“I was happy when I got the land and appreciate the state government’s efforts in encouraging an artist like me. But I am not allowed to build anything there. I have requested the government officials to change the conditions a number of time but they never responded. So I have decided to return the land,” he said.

The allotment letter of the 0.6 acre plot says there can be no permanent construction of any nature on the property. “It took me 15 years to convince the authorities to allot me a land for the park. But in order to build a park of international standards and of tourist interest, it is necessary to make a sand art gallery and a training centre and these will involve construction,” said Patnaik.

He also complained that the land was situated far away from the beach and beyond the coastal regulation zone and a residential area was not fit for a tourism sand park.

District collector Nabakishore Naik said he would submit the letter to the chief minister’s office and the authorities concerned would take the next step.

Patnaik said it was said that Odisha did not have a sand park yet.

“Gujarat has recently come up with one. Also, when minister of state for tourism Chiranjeevi recently visited Odisha, he proposed to involve me in the building of a sand art park being planned in Vizag,” he said, adding that if the government did not back him, he would try to build a sand park on his own.