States »EasPosted at: Aug 18 2021 7:41PM Puri seer joins local residents opposing another Blue flag beach
Puri, Aug 18 (UNI) The Shankaracharya of Puri Govardhan Peetha on Wednesday joined with the residents of holy town and beach visitors opposing strongly the plan of the local administration to acquire Pantha Niwas beach to Chakratirth beach for another blue flag beach
Jagannath Sena convenor Priyadarshan Patnaik said the administration has already occupied
three km of the beach and established blue Flag beach.
He said while tourism department is earning lakhs of rupees from Blue flag beach, many beach vendors are deprived of their livelihood and the free movement of visitors along the beach has
been prohibited.
Acquiring more area of the beach for blue Flag beach will advrsely affects hundreds of sea
fishermen families including small businessmen doing business on the sandy beach, he said.
Swamy Nischalananda Saraswati, the sankaracharya of Gobardhan peeth said government
should have consulted persons likely to be affected and considered it's religious importance
before taking such decision.
He said entire Puri beach has been described in religious texts as Mahodadhi Tirth.
It is one of the five Tirthas (holy places) of the country. Devotees perform Pinda dan and last
rites of their ancestors while many rituals connected with lord Jagannath temple and Samudra
arati is performed on the beach.The state government,he said should stop this idea
Senior congress leader Suresh Kumar Routray condemned the creation of another blue Flag
beach. He said Puri beach is unique and famous for its golden sand.
Hundreds of fishermen and small traders are earning their bread and butter by doing business
in the beach.
The Congress, Mr.Roputray said will launch an agitation in front of the Lions gate of Sri
Jagannath temple if government did not reconsider its plan .
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