Bhubaneswar: Around two decades after it was controversially built at Swargadwar, the Odisha government on Friday decided to remove the Biju Patnaik memorial as part of Rs 5-crore renovation package for the state’s most revered crematorium in Puri, official sources said.
Incidentally, a local court in December 2014 had ordered for demolition of the Samadhi Sthal, while acting on a petition filed by five Puri denizens – Ramesh Prasad Singh, Bikash Kumar Satpathy, Manoj Kumar Das, Laxmi Naryan Tripathy and Subhransa Mohanty.
On December 27, 2014, the civil judge (junior division) asked the Puri Municipality, which built the samadhi, to remove it within three months. However, a few weeks later on January 21, 2015, Puri district judge Aswini Mohapatra put a stay on the matter.
The state government’s decision coincides with its efforts to make Puri a world heritage city. It had earlier announced a package of over Rs 3000 crore for the Pilgrim Town. Several buildings, including mutts, around 75-metre radius of the Jagannath Temple were demolished to achieve this objective while ensure safety of the 12th century structure.
As decided in the meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Lok Seva Bhawan here, the Rs 5 crore will be sanctioned for the renovation of Swargadwar from the Chief Minister’s Relief Func (CMRF), in the first phase. The renovation work will be taken up in association with the Phoenix Foundation.
The crematorium will have modern amenities for the pall-bearers and the cremation of bodies. Besides, arrangements will be made to facilitate the cremation round-the-clock. The crematorium will have rest rooms for the pall bearers. Besides, there will be massive plantation inside the premises. This apart, special arrangements will be made for the collection and conservation of asthi (bones).
The Chief Minister has directed for completion of the renovation within six months from the date of commencement of the works.
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