Cuttack, Aug 31: The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that was filed by Belabahali Anchalika Surakhya Manch, opposing the construction of a bridge on Kusei River in Keonjhar district and seeking change in the location and design of the bridge, was dismissed by the High Court yesterday stating that the petition did not bear any public interest.
A bench of chief justice Vineet Saran and Justice BR Sarangi refused to interfere with the technical committee’s decision on the construction of the bridge on the river and also clarified that there would be no alterations in the design and location of the bridge.
Notably, on July 7 2015, while protesting against the decision of NHAI and the district administration for the construction of a new bridge on NH-215 and demanding shifting of the location, Belabahali villagers and nearby villagers had clashed with the police. It was observed that the Congress and BJD had also protested on this matter. Though the villagers had hoped that the demand would be considered, a notification by the Centre regarding the bridge construction had been issued on June 15, 2016.
