Odisha: Locals Demand Reopening Of Puri Jagannath Temple

Puri: The residents of Puri have demanded reopening of Jagannath temple for the devotees.

Giving the locals and devotees a voice is the Jagannath Sena which staged demonstrations in front of the temple on Saturday. The temple remains closed for the 13th day today.

Convenor of Jagannath Sena, Priyadarshi Pattanayak said at a time when election process and markets and other temples are open, there is no justice in keeping the Srimandir closed.

“We demand the administration to reopen the temple as soon as possible, so that the devotees get a chance to have darshan of Lord Jagannath,” he added.

Closure of the temple has affected several affected street vendors and servitors who depend on devotees and tourists for running their business.

The Srimandir in Puri has been out of bounds for devotees from January 10 and will remain so till February 3. The decision was taken by Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in the wake of rising COVID cases in the state and across the country.