Total Ban Clamped On Mobile Phone Inside Jagannath Temple In Odisha’s Puri

Puri: A total ban has been imposed on taking mobile phone inside the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri town.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Thursday approved the decision taken by Chhattish Nijog in this regard at a meeting here. While the restriction on entry of cellphones inside the temple was earlier applicable to visitors, it would cover temple administration officials, servitors and police personnel also.

This was revealed by Chief Administrator of SJTA Vir Vikram Yadav while speaking to the media after the meeting that continued for around 5 hours. The restriction will be applicable from January 1, 2023, he said.

He said provisions will be made for the police personnel, officials and the servitors to deposit their mobile phones at Singhadwar (Lions Gate) and Dakshina Dwar (south gate) before going inside the temple like the devotees. However, the officials and servitors can carry keypad phones to the temple, he added.

For the updates of the rituals of the deities of the temple, a mobile phone will be kept in the branch office of the temple administration.

Meanwhile, it was decided at the meeting that the beam repair work of Gundicha temple in the town would be completed before April 2023. But no discussion was held on the issue of Ratna Bhandar key in the temple, sources said.

The temple administration also decided to it would file an appeal in the court against the Rs 12 crore penalty imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on illegal mining activities in the mines of the Lords.

Besides all members of the management committee, Puri district collector Samarth Verma and SP K Vishal Singh attended the meeting.