PURI: Residents of the pilgrim town have decried the district administration’s move to sell six plots of Bagala Dharmashala land to hoteliers even as the issue is pending in Orissa High Court.

The plots were sold to hoteliers between August 5 and 12. While the State Government has allocated 6.66 acre of land to settle those displaced under the 75-metre heritage and  security corridor around Meghanad Prachir of the temple in the recently-held Cabinet meeting, the haste shown by the administration to sell the plots has raised many eyebrows.

In 1905, Seth Kanheyalal had established the Bagala Dharmashala on three acre of land along the Badadanda to cater to the needs of economically-backward devotees. He entrusted district Collector, who is the president of Puri Lodging House Fund Committee, with the management of the Dharamshala.

In 2016-17, the India Tourism Development Corporation demolished a dilapidated portion of the Dharamshala to reconstruct it with financial support from the Centre under PRASAD Yojana.

The present Puri Collector entrusted Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation to identify 22 plots to provide suitable land for lodging houses demolished for the heritage corridor and sought approval of plan from the Puri Konark Development Authority.

Earlier, the Dharmashala land was transferred to Puri Municipality and again recorded in favour of the Revenue and Disaster Management department by Puri additional tehsildar in response to a request from the district administration in violation of all existing legal norms, sources said.

In December last year, social activist Jagannath Bastia had filed a PIL in this regard in Orissa High Court. After hearing the matter, the court admitted the case and issued notice to the State Government and other parties concerned to file their reply. The case is still pending.