Indus Valley Times

By Shrikant Panda

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 2: Bhabani Shankar Chayani, the former district collector and magistrate of Cuttack, has found himself in a soup after the High Court of Orissa on Saturday termed his affidavit on sand mining at Kathajodi riverbed as “false.”

Hearing a plea, the HC observed that “criminal proceedings” be initiated against Chayani.

As per reports, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the HC court alleging illegal sand mining and transportation from the Kathajodi riverbed. The petitioner alleged that the administration had turned a blind eye to the interests of the people of Cuttack.

Following the PIL, the HC had sought an affidavit from the district administration. Replying to the Court, the administration had said that nothing of that sort was happening and fine was collected whatever illegal mining had happened.

However, the HC was irked by the administration’s false affidavit and said the irresponsible behaviour of the then Cuttack district collector was not acceptable.

“Since such a false affidavit has been filed by such a responsible officer without visualizing the ground reality, this Court takes a very serious view of the matter. It is observed that the quarrying operation is being done in a mechanised way day in and day out violating the Clause-C, Sub Clause-IV of the guidelines issued by the Odisha government’s revenue and disaster management on April 26, 2019, which deals with quarrying/mining operation,” the HC stated.

Neither Chayani nor the current district Collector Narahari Sethy was available for comments in this connection.

Chayani was transferred and posted as the director, higher education on October 26, 2023. Narahari Sethy, replaced him as Cuttack Collector.