Puri Heritage Corridor Project: Aparajita Fires ‘Conflict Of Interest’ Salvo At Jagannath Temple Admn Boss

Bhubaneswar: Having put the Odisha government in the dock with regard to the Puri Heritage Corridor project, BJP Parliamentarian Aparajita Sarangi on Monday questioned the reason behind entrusting multiple responsibilities to an officer associated with Jagannath Temple in Puri.

“The present Works Secretary is also the Chairman of Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation (OBCC), which is executing the Srimandir Parikrama Project. He is also the Chief Administrator of Shri Jagannath Temple Administration ( SJTA). His predecessor also had a similar charge. Is it a mere coincidence or by design? As SJTA Chief Administrator, he is awarding work to OBCC, passing the bills and making payments. And as OBCC Chairman, he has been entrusted to execute the project and receive payments,” she tweeted.

Aparajita, a former IAS officer who now represents Bhubaneswar in the Lok Sabha, said there is a huge conflict of interest and it violates all norms of financial prudence and the requirements of checks and balances.

“Why so?? All of us would like to know. Isn’t it?” she asked.

Earlier too, the MP had questioned the transparency in the entire work being carried out by the state government for making Puri an international heritage site. She had claimed that the state government has dug 30-feet deep pits in the restricted zone without permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and expressed concern over the safety of the 12th-century shrine.

She had also raised the alleged illegality in the implementation of this ambitious project in the Lok Sabha.