Baliyatra land rent standoff resolved

The standoff between the Cuttack district administration and the traders over rent of leased land for this years Baliyatra festival here ended with both parties reaching an agreement.

Traders will now have to pay Rs 33 per square foot of land to be taken as lease to erect their make-shift stalls for the 10-day-long festival beginning from November 23.

"The rate, however, is fixed only for old traders who are members of the Baliyatra Byabasaya Sangha," said its secretary Sukant Mohanty.

The new traders, who will participate for the first time this year, will have to pay a different price as will be fixed by the district administration, Mohanty said.

An area of nearly 40 acres at the lower Baliyatra ground and another 10 acres in the upper ground have been mapped by the local tehsildar to be given on lease to the traders for erecting their stalls.