The Orissa High Court has directed the state’s department of tourism to show alacrity in the completion of the infrastructure of a beach tourist destination and develop the site as a place of attraction for the tourists.
Disposing of a public interest litigation, a division bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman appreciated the petition filed in this regard, stating that “it is not only the solemn duty of the State to provide a sustainable development but also a sustainable livelihood by taking a decision, which would generate the employment and also the revenue to the Government exchequer”.
The government has come up with the positive mind and has resurrected the ‘Chaumukh-Dagara Sea Beach’ project by not only demarcating the land earmarked for providing the infrastructural facilities but also has undertaken to do all such allied and ancillary work that would support such development, stated the order.
“Since the grievance so raised in the instant PIL has been redressed by the Government, we do not find any justification in passing any further direction in this regard”, the division bench said.
The petition sought infrastructure development to support tourism and develop the “Chaumukh-Dagara Sea Beach”, which has a vibrant potential as a tourist spot in the state’s Balasore district, the petitioners’ counsel Samikhya Sthiraprajna said.
The Odisha Government, through its Department of Tourism, identified and recognised “Chaumukh-Dagara Sea Beach” as a potential place of tourist interest way back in the year 1998. The beach and the vicinity can be used and utilised to develop the tourism within the state, which would not only help the state to grow economically but also can spread its importance amongst the citizenry of the country. The studies conducted on sustainable tourism have highlighted five key points, namely, the tourism attraction, the accessibility, the amenity, the ancillary, and the community involvement, and there is every possibility of the investments to be done at the site, which would not only generate the employment but also help in enhancing the living standards of the inhabitants of the said locality.
We are conscious that it is a policy of the Government, and the interference in such policy is minimal, yet we cannot overlook the fact that when a decision has been taken by the Government, unless the said decision is superseded by a further decision on meaningful deliberation, the State cannot sit tight over the same, stated the division bench.
Any development project not only ensures the generation of employment, investment from various sectors, and business to be developed but also contributes money to the government exchequer to be spent for the welfare of the people of the state and the locality. The project, which was approved way back in 1998, has not been translated into reality even in 2025, and the anguish and agony shown by the petitioners is well appreciated, the order noted.