After Puri, Lingaraj Temple In Odisha Capital To Be Cleared Of Encroachments

Bhubaneswar: After Jagannath Temple in Puri, the Odisha government has decided to rid the 11th century Lingaraj Temple here of encroachments.

Additional Commissioner, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Harishchandra Nayak on Saturday said that a team of BDA, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), General Administration Department and Lingaraj Temple administration officials will conduct a joint survey from Tuesday to demarcate government, private and temple land around the shrine and evict the encroachers.

According to BDA officials, the move is necessary for conservation of the temple as well as management of traffic, which is in a mess because of unregulated and unauthorised constructions and encroachments by roadside vendors.

Encroachments around the temple identified during the two-day survey will be immediately removed, following which road-widening work along with creation of public space will be taken up, said BCM Additional Commissioner Abanikant Patnaik.

The government may also acquire public property around the temple for this purpose, he added.

There is around 80 feet space on the East and North sides of the shrine and less than 30 feet space on its South and West.

Suggestions would be sought from the Archaeological Survey of India for implementing this move after the survey is completed, the officials added.