Bhubaneswar: Illegal constructions have reared their ugly head on the Puri sea beach clearly flouting the Coastal Regulation Zone norms that prohibit construction of any permanent structure at least 500 metres from the sea coast.
These concrete toilets are being constructed on the beach behind Raj Bhawan alongside a 2000-feet long make shift structure being put up to house different stalls ahead of the upcoming Rath yatra,
Meanwhile, the district administration feigned ignorance about the development. Claiming ignorance, Srikant Tarai , Executive Engineer, Puri said, "Permission could have been given for installing stalls behind Raj Bhawan. But we never gave permission for toilet construction on the beach."
Similarly Sub Collector Bhabatarana Sahoo said he was unaware of the construction on the beach. "We shall send a team to probe into the allegations. I can comment on the matter only after I get the report from field," said Sahoo.
Although workers have been engaged on the site, none could provide information about those behind the construction work ."I was asked to construct the toilets. I don't know the person behind this project. I would have completed my work and got my payment," said Saroj, supervising the construction of toilets.