Odisha: Yajna begins in Puri ahead of corridor project launch

BHUBANESWAR: A three-day yajna started near the Jagannath Temple in Puri on Monday ahead of Wednesday's scheduled ceremonial start of the ambitious Shree Mandir Parikrama Yojana.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and Puri king Dibyasingha Deb are among the dignitaries who would be attending the event.
Chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra and chief minister's private secretary V K Pandian visited Puri and oversaw the preparations on Monday. Mahapatra and Pandian spoke to Krishan Kumar, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath temple administration, Puri district collector Samarth Verma and superintendent of police Kanwar Vishal Singh to ensure smooth conduct of the event.
"All preparations have been made for the Shilanyas Utsav on Wednesday. Foundation stone-laying ceremony will be held as per schedule," the chief secretary said.
Kumar said land owners, who donated their properties to the government for execution of the heritage corridor project, would be felicitated at the event. "We will place a model of the project at the Shilanyas Utsav venue. The Shilanyas Utsav will continue for about two hours. Darshan of deities inside the temple will remain unaffected," Kumar said.
Adequate police forces have been deployed at the yajna site as well as the Shilanyas Utsav venue near the 12th century shrine. The temple administration has already received a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the National Monuments Authority (NMA) for the smooth execution of the project.
Being implemented at a cost of nearly Rs 800 crore within a 75-metre radius of the temple, the heritage corridor project envisages the development of mutts, a reception centre, amenities for devotees and enhanced security for the shrine.
The project is part of the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme which aims to develop Puri into a world-class heritage city.
The government has purchased land from 115 families around the temple to execute the project.