Bhubaneswar, Feb. 24: The growing concern over seaside buildings in Puri beginning to show signs of tilt apparently because of the movement of subterranean plates found an echo in the state Assembly today with members demanding a detailed discussion and statement from the government.

Sensing the gravity of the issue, speaker Pradip Kumar Amat, who heads the Assembly committee on environment, directed the government to take note of the matter.

Drawing the House’s attention to a report in the February 22 edition of The Telegraph titled “Tilt in Puri seashore buildings”, NCP leader Amar Prasad Satpathy said it was a serious issue that involved the safety of the Odisha coast.

He sought a direction from the speaker to the government to place all the facts with regard to the case on the floor of the House.

Quoting extensively from The Telegraph report, the NCP leader said Puri town was facing a “threat with high-rise buildings along the seashore showing signs of tilt, a possible fallout of tectonic movement”.

Former deputy director general of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) P.N. Nayak had made a detailed study of the phenomenon. A team of experts from the GSI would visit Puri soon to study the situation, he said.

Referring to Nayak’s findings, Satpathy said the devastating tsunami of 2004 had its impact on different seacoasts, including Puri.

He said the impact of such a phenomenon would be felt not only in the beach town, but also in areas within a radius of 160km.

Officials of the Puri-Konark Development Authority said they were aware of the fact and took it into account while granting approval for construction of buildings in the area.

Local residents have also expressed concern about the safety of their habitat in view of the tectonic movement, said the legislator.

Satpathy also drew the attention of the legislature to breaches on coastal roads at various places in Puri and Kendrapara district. “This is a matter of serious concern for Odisha, which has a 480-km coastline,” he said.

“The state government should place all the facts before us: whether it has made any study on the phenomenon and the state’s preparedness,” he said.

Residents of Puri have confirmed that the cracks began to be noticed after 2004 in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra. Some of the residents have undertaken repairs on their own.

Nayak had said the tilted buildings in Puri could be a precursor to an impending disaster.

He attributed it to the impact of the 2004 tsunami or the rise of the Earth’s mantle material through the oceanic ridges between Brahmagiri and Sakhigopal near Puri. The ridge extends over 1,600km, connecting with Sri Lanka.