Central team visits Puri beach to study ''strange behaviour of sea''

Puri, Aug 26 (UNI) A two-member team from the Union Forest and Environment Ministry has visited the damaged Marine Drive Road on the Puri coast and examined the revenue status of the area.

Official sources said the team, which arrived here yesterday, also visited the local Puri Konark Development Authority (PKDA) office and verified the building plans approved by the authorities in the concerned area.

The team made this tour following an appeal from Beach Protection Council president Jagannath Bastia in the wake of ''strange behaviour of the sea and its advancement towards the land along the Puri coast.'' Recently, the sea washed away a newly built road along the extended part of the Marine Drive, posing serious threat to a number of new hotels and apartments coming up along the coast.

The team, led by Regional Director Khajjan Singh and Additional Director V P Upadhyaya, opined that there was gross violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms by the works department and Development Authority as regards to the construction of a new road on the High Tide Line (HTL) and subsequent approval of mega building plans encroaching the HTL area.

The team held discussions with senior citizens and examined the official revenue map of the local area where the authorities had constructed the new road.

The members said they would submit their report by the end of this month to the Union Ministry adding that the state government would be asked to take punitive action against the officials responsible for the violation of CRZ norms.

UNI