Bhubaneswar: In a big development from Odisha, the environmental activist Medha Patkar and six others have been barred from entering five villages in Odisha’s Rayagada district till August 10, 2025, Sunday afternoon according to a report in Hindustan Times. According to the Rayagada district collector Ashutosh Kulkarni, Medha Patkar and six others, including activist Prafulla Samantra, are prohibited from entering, assembling, addressing any gathering, or participating in any public or quasi-public activity. According to Rayagada district collector, this prohibition will prevail within the jurisdiction of Sunger, Adajore, Sindoor Ghati, Talajhiri, and Kashipur Gram Panchayats in the district. Also, Rayagada district collector said that this prohibition will prevail from the afternoon of August 8 to the afternoon of August 10, under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Odisha police had stopped Medha Patkar and other activists earlier
According to a report in The Hindu, the Odisha Police had stopped Medha Patkar and many other activists led by her when they had arrived in the Rayagada district. They had arrived to address a public meeting on World Environment Day, early Thursday (June 5, 2025). According to the district authorities as reported in The Hindu, presence of activists could inflame tensions in the region, where local tribals are opposing bauxite mining in the Sijimali Reserve.
What is the World Environment Day?
5th June was designated as World Environment Day by the UN General Assembly in 1972. The first celebration of this day has happened in 1973 under the slogan “Only One Earth”. In the following years, World Environment Day has developed as a platform to raise awareness on the problems facing our environment. These problems comprise the air pollution, plastic pollution, illegal wildlife trade, sustainable consumption, sea-level increase, and food security, among others.
