Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri and offer prayers for the first time after the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
CM stated post darshan of the holy trinity that the visit that he prayed to the Lord for the peace and prosperity of the people of Odisha. He also thanked the people of Puri who have sacrificed their lands for the development of Srimandir and their sacrifices will not go waste and nobody can stop the work of Lord Jagannath. The Central Government should withdraw the bylaw notification.
The CM’s first visit to Srimandir after the COVID-19 pandemic assumes significance as it comes a day after Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) wrote to National Monuments Authority, requesting it to withdraw the draft heritage bylaws that have proposed stringent restrictions on construction activities around the temple.
These bylaws defining various zones for their conservation and periphery development might restrict the ongoing beautification and development works around the 12th-century shrine. The state government has been working on developing a heritage corridor around Srimandir and razed several structures, including Languli Mutt, Emar Mutt, a 900-year-old monastery, Mangu Mutt, and Bada Akhada Mutt, a 600-year-old monastery, for the ambitious project.
The SJTA has further argued that the bylaws pose a threat to the rights of the servitors and would also hurt the sentiments of devotees.
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