Odisha pilgrimage places Act to be repealed

BHUBANESWAR:The State Government has decided to repeal the Bihar and Odisha Places of Pilgrimage Act, 1920 as most of its provisions are found in the Odisha Municipal Act, 1950 or have become irrelevant.

One of the key provisions in the Act, the lodging house fund of Puri, will also be discontinued. Sources said currently, the lodging house fund is not functioning properly as its mandate is fulfilled by other organisations directly or indirectly. There are provisions in Odisha Municipal Act which empower the municipality to exercise more effective management and control in realising the mandates of the 1920 Act.
The earlier Act seeks to make better provisions for control and sanitation of places of pilgrimage and for regulation of houses in which pilgrims are accommodated. However, as most of the places of pilgrimage now do not require lodging due to the proliferation of hotels, a key provision of the Act has become obsolete.

The Act also has provisions for grant of licence for accommodation of pilgrims, inspection of such houses by medical officers, revocation and suspension of licence, regular inspection of licensed houses and punishment for violation. Section 20 of the Act provides for constitution of lodging house fund while Section 13 has provision empowering imposition of terminal tax on passengers brought by railway, steam vessels and public service vehicles on road.As per the Act, the functions of lodging housing fund are to provide sanitation, prevention of epidemics and take steps for convenience of pilgrims.

Pilgrimage places Act to be repealed

Finance is generated from terminal tax, licence fee, inspection fee and rent from dharmasalas for running of the organisation. Section 21 of the Act provides for use of the fund for medical relief, sanitation and conservancy of the area.But the lodging house fund contemplated in 1920 has lost its relevance in view of new organisations like the Puri Municipality, Water Supply and Drainage unit of Puri besides the Puri and Konark Development Authority. These organisations have taken over the original mandates of the lodging house fund. Besides, traditional accommodation system for pilgrims coming to Puri has undergone sea change with establishment of hotels catering to pilgrims from different places.