Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik To Visit Puri Jagannath Temple Amid Draft Heritage Bylaws Row

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will visit the Jagannath Temple in Puri on Monday and offer prayers.

The CM’s first visit to Srimandir after the COVID-19 pandemic assumes significance as it comes a day after Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) wrote to National Monuments Authority, requesting it to withdraw the draft heritage bylaws that have proposed stringent restrictions on construction activities around the temple.

These bylaws defining various zones for their conservation and periphery development might restrict the ongoing beautification and development works around the 12th-century shrine. The state government has been working on developing a heritage corridor around Srimandir and razed several structures, including Languli Mutt, Emar Mutt, a 900-year-old monastery, Mangu Mutt and Bada Akhada Mutt, a 600-year-old monastery, for the ambitious project.

The SJTA has further argued that the bylaws pose a threat to the rights of the servitors and would also hurt the sentiments of devotees.

Also Read: Puri Jagannath Temple Admn Urges Centre To Withdraw Draft Heritage Bylaws

Also Read:Know What NMA’s Draft Bylaws For Puri Jagannath Temple And Subsidiary Shrines Say