Bhubaneswar: Amid a brouhaha over cracks detected on the ‘Meghanada Pacheri’ surrounding Shree Jatannath Temple in Puri, Odisha’s Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Tuesday said the damage was stated to have been caused during the eviction undertaken for the Parikrama Prakalp.
Noting that the cracks on the Meghanada Pacheri have not been created now, the Minister said many people are of the opinion that damage to the massive boundary wall was caused during the eviction process undertaken for the Heritage Corridor Project.
“Many people, including local residents are of the view that the cracks appeared during the eviction process. They believe that the huge structure suffered damage during the eviction work,” the Minister said.
As soon as the cracks were detected, the Archaeological Survey of Indis (ASI) initiated necessary steps for undertaking repair work, Harichandan said.
Both ASI and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) have been working in close coordination to take up the repair work expeditiously, he said.
Work is underway on a war footing to complete the repair work in a time-bound manner, Harichandan said, adding that the cracks will be sealed soon and seepage of wastewater from Ananda Bazar will also be stopped.
Meanwhile, the Odisha unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has mounted a scathing attack on the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over the issue and held it responsible for the damage caused to Meghanada Pacheri.
Coming down heavily on BJD, state BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal alleged that former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his close aide V K Pandian are responsible for the cracks on Meganada Pacheri.
In a post on X handle, he claimed that 20 feet deep excavation using heavy excavators were done around the Meghanada Pacheri for Parikrama Project. As a result, the structure of the 12th century shrine was put in danger, Biswal claimed.
“There are some mistakes which cannot be forgiven. During the previous government, former Chief Minister Naveen Babu and his associate V K Pandian have made some mistakes which now the people of Odisha have to pay. It is very sad to see how they have compromised an ancient heritage for their political gain. The temple of Lord Jagannath is our pride and identity. Now the cracks that have emerged in Meghnada Pachiri and the cracks that have started to emerge is a matter of concern for crores of Jagannath devotees. After the matter came to light, the Archaeological Department and the State government have started its repairing work. But the question is why did it happen?” asked Biswal.
Reacting sharply to the allegation made by BJP, BJD MLA Ganeswar Behera sought to know whether the saffron party leaders are technical experts to make such wild charges.
“Do the BJP leaders have technical expertise? The claim would have been acceptable had it been spoken by technical experts,” he said, terming the allegation made by the saffron party politically-motivated.
Asking BJP leaders to think twice before saying anything, Behera said the heritage corridor project was taken up after taking into consideration all safety aspects. It was undertaken with the permission of the authorities concerned, he said.
Notably, repair work is now being undertaken on a war footing after several cracks were found on the huge structure, stated to have been built around the temple during Maratha period.
The temple administration has also floated tender for improvement in the drainage system for Ananda Bazar with necessary repair work.
While the surface of the boundary wall is being cleaned initially, steps will be taken to properly seal the cracks to prevent any seepage of wastewater from Ananda Bazar.
ASI officials said that there is no danger to the structural stability of the Meghanada Pacheri as the foundation is very strong. Once the drainage system of Ananda Bazar is improved and cracks are sealed, further seepage will be prevented, they said.
After completion of drainage work, the technical team will examine the structure and necessary chemical washing and treatment will be undertaken, said an official.
Notably, Chief Administrator of SJTA Arabinda Padhee had on Sunday said that necessary steps are being taken for repair of the temple boundary wall in coordination with the ASI.
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