‘We Will Regret Destroying Puri’s Heritage’

Bhubaneswar: Continuing his tirade against the Odisha government’s decision to demolish mutts within 75-metre radius of Jagannath Temple in Puri, senior BJD leader and former MP Tathagata Satpathy on Tuesday said no one, including the court and the government, has the right to destroy the heritage buildings and institutions

“I support the initiative for infrastructure development in the Pilgrim Town either on the directive of the court or the decision taken in this regard by the state government. But who had given the permission to construct these illegal structures near the temple periphery over the years? If the permission was given either by the municipality executive officer or the municipality chairperson, will the government take action against them? I have the feeling that we will have to regret in the future for the wrong decision taken at the lower executive level for the demolition of the mutts and the historical edifices. The foreign rulers never tried to destroy our heritage. But we are destroying our own heritage,” Satpathy told the media.

Commenting on his statement, BJD leader Amar Patnaik said the priority has to be given to the security of the 12th century shrine.

“We have to think whether mutts or the Jagannath Temple is more important for us. There is no denying the fact that the temple is more important. Several experts and researchers in their reports have also given more priority to the safety and security of the Jagannath Temple. Even the Supreme Court is on the same page. In my opinion, there was no alternative other than demolishing the mutts for the safety of the temple,” Patnaik pointed out.