Officials of Cuttack Municipal Corporation and district administration inspect the ground on the Mahanadi riverside ahead of Bali yatra. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Oct. 14: Officials of the district administration and municipal corporation are facing a challenging task to restore the upper Mahanadi ground ahead of the Bali yatra here.

Accumulation of rainwater following cyclone Hudhud and dumping of debris by various agencies have aggravated the problem.

Senior officials, who reviewed the damage caused to the ground on Tuesday, decided to launch a special drive to repair the pathways before the start of the yatra on November 6.

“During the inspection, we found the space damaged by the heavy rain during the cyclonic storm. We will start levelling the ground from Wednesday,” said Cuttack Municiapl Corporation (CMC) commissioner Gyana Das.

Das said efforts would also be initiated to clear the water so that the ground dried up fast for installation of electric poles.

Earlier, the district administration faced similar problems during cyclone Phailin that had hit the state on October 12 last year.

The levelling of the ground, particularly on the Mahanadi riverside, is important for the safety of the visitors coming to the yatra.

The corporation had developed pathways inside the ground in 2011 and additional 50,000sqft of land was also used for hosting the fair in 2012.

The Bali yatra is held on 37 acres of land, including the one on the Mahanadi riverside and Killa maidan in front of the Barabati fort.

Every year, the corporation spends around Rs 30 lakh for maintaining sanitation and restoration of the ground.

“Once the levelling of the land is complete, ground measurement and layout for the stalls and other amenities will be done,” said sub-collector Raghuram Iyer.

One of the CMC officials said: “Considering the large turnout of visitors and stall owners, two mobile toilets will be in operation for the first time this year.”

“We will soon float tenders for setting up the mobile toilets. The budget for the mobile toilets has been estim ated at Rs 12 lakh,” said Ranjan Biswal, the chairper son of the CMC standing committee on public health.

Biswal said that efforts would be made to maintain all round sanitation during the weeklong festival.

Special squads will also be formed to check the disposal of polythene and stale food, he said.