Puri: Odisha Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, during his visit to the Jagannath Temple in Puri on Monday, said that work on the heritage corridor project was being carried out in coordination with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
His remarks came amid a huge row that has erupted over the project with the opposition BJP accusing the state government of carrying out work within the ‘prohibited area’ of the protected monument without obtaining clearance from both the ASI and the National Monument Authority (NMA). Mahapatra visited the temple to take stock of the probe into the vandalism at the temple kitchen.
Mahapatra said construction of amenities for devotees visiting the temple town was going on at present. He clarified that work will be done on 5-10 per cent of the total area while the rest will be used for ceremonial procession or ‘parikrama’ of deities.
On if the work posed a threat to the 12-century shrine, he said, “I don’t think so.”
BJP leader and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Monday said that work on the heritage corridor was going on despite the ASI issuing a letter to the authorities concerned to stop work in the ‘prohibited area’.
“Archaeological Survey of India has issued letter to the concerned authorities of Puri for stopping work in the Prohibited area(100 metres)of Jagannath Temple,Puri.But work has not stopped by the State Govt till now.Illegal this is! Isn’t it time for all of us to SAVE OUR TEMPLE?” she tweeted.
Aparajita also targeted BJD MP from Puri Pinaki Mishra on the issue last week.
Reacting to Pinaki’s statement to the media on the No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by the NMA to the state government on September 4 last year for construction of a cloakroom, shelter pavilion and toilets within the ‘prohibited zone’, she said the paper shown by him in support of the project was a letter by the NMA and not an NOC.
Senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra on Monday also attacked the way the state government was carrying out the project.
Mohapatra criticised the ASI and NMA, saying that being expert authorities it was their responsibility to ensure the project did not violate safety norms and endangered the 12th-century shrine. He questioned why these two bodies were silent on the issue despite protests and opposition, and were yet to send teams to the site for inspection.
