Bhubaneswar: While the Jagannath Temple Corridor development project or the Puri Heritage Corridor is expected to be dedicated to the devotees on January 17 next year, plans are afoot to have all structures along Bada Danda (Grand Road), leading to the 12th-century shrine, in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri painted in a pastel colour.
According to sources, the government will soon urge the owners of residential buildings, hotels and shops along the Grand Road to apply a coat of pale pink on them to lend a distinct look to the locality and complete the work before the inauguration of the project.
The sources further said pale pink was picked from 14 colours during the recent visit of 5T chairman V K Pandian to Puri and can be changed if required. “The owners of all buildings along the Grand Road will be asked to paint their strictures light pink coat. The administration will take up the work if someone fails to do so before the deadline. However, the building owners will bear the entire cost,” said a source in Puri district administration.
During Nabakalebara festival of Lord Jagannath and his siblings in 2015, the then Puri Collector Aravind Agarwal had some buildings on either side of Grand Road painted in ivory colour. They, however, have faded with time.
The Puri Heritage Corridor Project was first conceived in 2016 and unveiled in December 2019 with the objective to transform the pilgrim town into an place of heritage of international importance. The Rs 800 crore project includes redeveloping major portions of the town and in the vicinity of the temple for visitors and tourists while creating an unobstructed 75-metre corridor around the Meghanada Pacheri (the outer wall of the 12th-century shrine).
The amenities, to be available within 55 m radius of the temple boundary wall, include six toilets and three shelter pavilions in the south, north and west directions of the temple. A 6,000 capacity Srimandir reception centre, Jagannath cultural centre, including Raghunandan library, Badadanda heritage streetscape, Jagannath Ballav pilgrim centre, multilevel car and other amenities.
