Khandagiri Mela 2023: BMC issues SOPs for ‘Jatras’ & Shops

Bhubaneswar: Khandagiri Mela is a popular religious and cultural fair that is scheduled to be held from 28.01.20233 and will remain continue for 10 days in and around Khandagiri-Udyagiri area. Traditional shopping and Jatara are major demand drivers for mass gathering and crowd in the Khandagiri Mela.

Hence, to control the mass gathering, it is essential to manage the said Mela smoothly and for this, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been laid down for the smooth functioning of Jatara, said the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Here’s the Standard Operating Procedure for Jatras parties:

• Theatre groups must have to follow the Covid -19 Protocol issued by Govt. of Odisha during the entire period of the Khandagiri Mela.
• The concerned ZDC of Southwest zone shall ensure that all the officers/members/volunteers of the organizing committee are fully vaccinated.
• Hand sanitizer for the viewers should be provided at each entrance gate of the theatre by the organizing committee of the said theatre.
• Seating arrangement for viewer inside the theater must be done keeping in view of existing Covid-19 Protocol guidelines.
• The organizing committee of the respective theatres shall maintain the sound limit of mike while publishing the content of Jatara in moving vehicle/taxi.
• The organizing committee of the respective theatres shall prepare the layout plan of the stage, sheds and obtain the safety certificate of the structure to be erected from of the R & D before installation of sheds and stage.
• The organizing committee of each theatre must keep adequate fire extinguisher inside the theatre premises as per the norms of Fire Dept. and obtain the Fire NOC from the office of the Fire DG.
• BMC shall remove all C & D waste being laid inside identified fields where Jatara to be performed before the 10th January 2023.
• The organizing committee of the respective theatres shall obtain the necessary permission from electricity department tor electricity connection. The organizing committee shall arrange power back up at its own. Besides, the organizing committee of the theatre shall be responsible for installation of internal lighting/electrical equipment’s as required in consultation with the electricity department.
• The organizing committee of the respective theatres shall install requircd no. of CCTVs in and around the theatre premises in consultation with Police/Local body to keep vigil on anti-social activities.
• The organizing committee of the respective theatres shall install adequate no. of temporary toilets for men and women with availability of soak pit inside/near the theater premise. BMC shall collect the fecal waste of toilets once it is full.
• The organizing committee of the respective theatre shall make arrangement of adequate drinking water facilities for Jaffa viewers inside/near the premise of the theatre.
• The organizing committee of the respective theatre shall keep sufficient dustbins for wet and dry waste separately at appropriate locations in and around the theater premises.
• After completion of Jatara at the end of each day, the organizing committee of the respective theatre shall be responsible for cleaning in and around the theater premises and the waste to be generated should be handed over to BMC’s garbage collection vehicle in the morning. The organizing committee of the respective theatre must ensure that the theatre premises should remain neat and clean round the clock during the entire Mela period.
• The organizing committee of the theatre shall ensure that the content of play should not contain anything which is indecent; may disrupt the communal harmony or offend religious sentiments.
• The organizing committee of the theatre shall deploy adequate no. of volunteers or security guards of its own to manage the mass gathering of spectators and to manage anti-social activities.

Here’s the Standard Operating Procedure for shops:

• BMC shall undertake the physical survey, prepare the layout, plan & earmark the space for the installation of temporary shops to be allotted to the vendors. The size of te shops is to be decided by the BMC after completion of survey and preparation of layout plan.
• An advertisement will be published in local Odia and English newspapers, in BMC website, in concerned ward office and zone office for creating awareness among public for allotment of shops.
• Intending vendor must apply in the prescribed format to be issued by the zone office along with all required documents such as Aadhar, a copy of shop allotment receipt of lash Khandagiri Mela, and two signed passport size photos.
• The application will be received by hand within the due date in Southwest zone office of BMC within office hours on working days. After receiving the application in zone office, an acknowledgement receipt will be issued to the applicant with date and seal.
• The application received will be scrutinized and categorized with respect to new type application i.e the applicant has never been allotted shop in Khandagiri Mela earlier and old type application i.e, the applicant has been allotted shop in the last Khandagiri Mela and such category of application shall be ascertained by scrutinizing the copy of shop allotment receipt of last Khandagiri Mela that is to be submitted by the vendor in the application form.
• Old applicants shall be given fist preference followed by the new applicants for the allotment of shops i.e shops shal be allotted directly to the old applicants firstly. After completion of shops allotment to the old applicant, if any shop is left, then it will be allotted to the new applicants on first-cum-first serve basis.
• After completion of selection of vendors, they will be intimated to deposit the license fee within the stipulate timeline, an allotment letter shall be issued to the selected vendors. If the selected vendor doesn’t deposit the license fee within stipulated timeline, then in such case, allotment against the selected vendors shall be cancelled and the cancelled allotment shall be transferred to the next left-put applicant who is deprived of g3tting the shop due to non-availability shops at time of allotment.