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Cuttack: Bowing to popular demand, Odisha government has decided to extend the ongoing Baliyatra Festival by one day.
Odisha Agriculture minister Debi Prasad Mishra announced the extension after inaugurating the annual festival on the fair grounds set up on the bank of river Mahanadi, close to the majestic Barabati fort, on Sunday.
Instead of Saturday, the festival will now end next Sunday.
The festival, which upholds the maritime glory of ancient Odisha, will be observed on a low key this time as the state was ravaged by cyclone Phailin, unprecedented rains and floods recently, Cuttack district collector Girish S N said.
Cultural programmes and merrymaking would be missed at the festival with the local administration banning joyrides, including the giant wheels and ?Maut Ka Kuan? due to mishaps in previous years.
As many as 1300 stalls have come up on the two fair grounds covering an area of over 50 acre.
All the stalls of the fare have been insured for Rs four crore, the district collector said.
The city police have made elaborate arrangements to maintain law and order in and around the fair grounds as lakhs of revellers would be visiting here everyday.
The police have also refurbished the traffic arrangements in the nearby main roads with traffic restrictions.
As a precautionary measure, the entire fair ground is being monitored with close-circuit television cameras. The city police would be deploying adequate police force and shall monitor the situation with different kind of force, including quick reaction teams.
