Govt Has Not Given Proper Attention To Jagannath Temple: Puri Gajapati

Puri: Puri Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb on Saturday said the Odisha government has not given proper attention to the Jagannath temple.

Talking to reporters after meeting Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae Ranjit Kumar at the royal palace here, he said the state government took charge of the temple administration from the Puri Gajapati in 1960. “It was expected that the government would be able to overcome lacunae in the functioning of the temple. But sadly, the government has till date not been able to bring about reforms,” he said.

The Gajapati said that within two years of the Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir governments taking over administration of Lord Tirupati and Vaishno Devi temples, the temples had seen development of infrastructure, timely conduct of rituals and facilities for smooth darshan of the deities by the devotees. “But one has not seen such developments at the Jagannath temple even after nearly 80 years,” he said.

The Gajapati said there was a need for major reforms in the functioning of the administration, sevayats and religious practices at the temple. “Once these three aspects are taken care of, it will become easier to implement the other aspects. I have told the amicus curiae to give special attention to these major issues,” he said.