Chief Secretary Anu Garg reviews high-level preparations; focus on safety, traffic management, plastic-free fest and Odisha’s maritime heritage

 

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, SEPTEMBER 5, 2026

Preparations for the historic and culturally significant Cuttack Bali Jatra 2026 have gained momentum, with the state government laying emphasis on making the festival bigger, safer, better organised and more attractive for visitors.

A high-level review meeting was held under the chairpersonship of Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg at the Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Saturday to review preparations for the upcoming festival, scheduled to begin on November 24, 2026.

Chief Secretary Garg stressed the need to showcase Odisha’s rich maritime trading heritage on a global platform and called for greater efforts to highlight the historic links between Odisha and Southeast Asia.

Officials from the Home, Industries, Information and Public Relations, Women and Child Development, Tourism and Culture departments, along with senior officers of the Cuttack district administration and the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissionerate, attended the meeting.

Cuttack Collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde presented details of the preparations and said visitor numbers at Bali Jatra have been steadily increasing every year.

The 2025 edition attracted around 65 lakh visitors, with the highest single-day footfall touching approximately 12 lakh people.

The festival also generated substantial commercial activity. Around 396 vending zones were created and business worth more than ₹400 crore was recorded during the event. The Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) alone registered business worth approximately ₹57 crore, while 1,420 stalls were booked.

Traders from 24 states participated in last year's festival. This year, Indonesia is scheduled to participate as a partner country, adding an international dimension to the celebrations.

The meeting also discussed plans by the Tourism Department to organise a range of attractive programmes along the Mahanadi River during the festival.

With Bali Jatra expected to draw massive crowds, traffic and crowd management were accorded special importance during the review meeting.

The festival will be held across both the upper and lower fairgrounds this year. Half of Chahata Road has been earmarked as a dedicated parking area, while additional bus services are planned to ferry visitors between the parking zone and the festival grounds.

The arrangements are aimed at ensuring smoother movement of visitors and reducing traffic congestion around the sprawling festival area.

In a major push for sustainability, the Chief Secretary directed that this year's festival be organised as a completely plastic-free “Green Bali Jatra.”

The administration will also streamline cultural programming, with two stages being planned instead of three.

To promote local businesses and artisans, ORMAS will establish 500 stalls. Dedicated vending zones will be created at various locations for street vendors, while handloom and handicraft stalls will be positioned at prominent locations to provide greater visibility to local products.

A key highlight of this year's preparations is the proposed “Taking It to Bali” initiative, under which a high-level delegation from Odisha is proposed to visit Bali, Indonesia, as part of efforts to revive and strengthen Odisha's ancient maritime connections.

The initiative is expected to create new opportunities in Odisha's industry, tourism and cultural sectors, while reviving memories of the historic maritime trade and cultural exchanges between Odisha and Indonesia.

The participation of a cultural troupe from Bali, Indonesia, in the festival was also discussed during the meeting.

The meeting also reviewed arrangements for the proposed visits of the Chief Minister and Governor of Odisha to Bali Jatra.

Officials discussed finalising programmes, protocol arrangements and security measures well in advance to ensure smooth and hassle-free visits by the dignitaries.

The state government is expected to sanction the funds required for the smooth conduct of the festival. Additional Odisha Administrative Service officers, engineers and security personnel will be deployed as necessary.

Calling for close coordination among all departments, the Chief Secretary urged officials to work together to make Bali Jatra 2026 a safe, successful and memorable celebration.