Work resumes after long pause 

PURI:  Demolition of structures located within 75 metre of Meghnad Pachiri of Sri Jagannath Temple for the heritage corridor project resumed on Saturday. Three private buildings on the south west corner of the proposed corridor were demolished using JCB machines on the day.  A platoon of police force was deployed at the site to maintain order during the operation which was carried out under the supervision of Sub-Collector Bhabataran Sahu. 

Around 95 per cent of land required for the project has already been acquired while several buildings are yet to be demolished. Work on the project, stopped due to the pandemic, has been started again. The issue of compensating the land losers and building owners was settled amicably earlier, Sahu said. 

On February 16, the draft architectural plan and design of the heritage corridor project at an estimated cost of `3,200 crore was given the green signal by the temple managing committee. Under the plan, as many as 22 projects will be executed in three phases within a couple of years. Initially, `800 crore would be made available from the State government’s Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture at Puri (ABADHA) scheme followed by another `265 crore in the first phase.

The projects include Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) building redevelopment, Srimandir reception centre, Jagannath cultural centre including Raghunandan library, integrated command and control centre, Badadanda heritage streetscape, Srimandir amenities improvement, Sri Setu, Jagannath Ballav pilgrim centre, multilevel car parking, municipal market development, Swargadwar development, Pramod Udyan, Gurukulam, Mahodadhi market, beach front development, Puri lake, Musa river revival plan, Atharnala and housing for sevayats. The  heritage corridor, a dream project of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, to  transform this abode of lord Jagannath into an international place of  heritage has been delayed by almost a year.

‘Enlist shrine in UNESCO World Heritage list’
Puri: The Puri Vikash Parishad has urged UNESCO to enlist the 12th century shrine in its World Heritage list as it fulfils all parameters. A letter to the Director General of UNESCO has already been sent through its India representative in this regard.  The parishad said the temple was established by King Anantavarman Chodagangadeb of Ganga dynasty in 12th century AD.  The 65-metre high shrine is  a true reflection of Kalinga art, sculpture and culture and is one of the four dhamas (holy place) of Hindu religion.  “The temple is the centre of religion and spirituality for  millions of people. It is a marvel in itself as its fine architecture, sculptures and history covers the history of the State for centuries,” the body said urging UNESCO authorities to consider the proposal and enlist the temple in the World Heritage list after verification.