Bylaws on Puri Jagannath temple withdrawn following request by

After Odisha Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik and delegations of BJD and BJP MPs urged thecentre to withdraw draft bylaws notification issued byNational Monuments Authority (NMA) stopping any developmentalwork within 100 meters radius of Shree Jagannath temple inPuri, the notice was taken back Monday.

Responding to the demand, NMA came out with a public notice,saying the draft heritage bylaws of Shree Jagannath temple andsubsidiary shrines together with adjacent area comprised insurvey plot 1, 2 and 3 district Puri has been withdrawn due tosome technical glitches and the revised notice will be issuedlater.

Patnaik on a visit to the 12th century shrine in Puri inthe morning had urged the centre to take back the communique.

National Monuments Authority which comes under Unionministry of Culture had issued the notification on January 18last.

It had published the draft heritage byelaws on its websitenma.gov.in and invited suggestions and comments from thepublic till February 18.

With the communique sparking a strong resentment acrossthe state, a delegation of BJP and BJD MPs had Monday morningseparately met Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, whoassured them that the order would be taken back.

This is the first occasion when rivals BJP and BJD MPsmounted pressure on the centre on a common issue of interestto Odisha.

Their efforts resulted in withdrawal of the notificationlater in the day.

BJD MP from Puri Pinaki Mishra welcomed the decision toannul the NMA notice.

Servitors of Puri also welcomed the centre's promptaction.

''Nobody can stop the work of Lord Jagannath. The centralgovernment should withdraw the bylaws notification,'' Patnaikhad told reporters in Puri earlier during the day on hismaiden visit to the 12th century shrine after the restrictionsimposed due to COVID-19 pandemic were removed.

The chief minister thanked the local people of Puri whohave sacrificed their lands for the Shree Jagannath HeritageCorridor (SJHC) project for the beautification and enhancingsecurity of the areas around the temple.

The state government has been carrying out the developmentprojects 75 meters from the Puri temple boundary wall forwhich the people have donated their land.

After meeting Patel in the national capital, UnionMinister Pratap Sarangi said the central government has nosuch intention to put restrictions on the developmentalworks being carried out around the temple.

''Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a devotee of LordJagannath and he would not allow anyone to create problem inPuri,'' a BJP statement quoting Sarangi said.

Sarangi also said that the issuance of the NMA draft bylawcommunique was a ''bureaucratic error'' which has been released''by mistake'' and ''it will be withdrawn soon''.

Another team of the BJD MPs also met Union CultureMinister in Parliament demanding termination of the NMA draftby-law for Puri.

''The Union Minister has assured the BJD delegation thatit would be withdrawn. We met the minister as per direction ofthe chief minister,'' said one of the members of thedelegation.

The National Monuments Authority said the draft heritagebylaws have been prepared as per Section 20(E) of the AncientMonuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act,2010 andRule 18 of National Monuments Authority (Appointment, Functionand Conduct of Business) Rules, 2011.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in aletter to the member secretary of the NMA made a request toannul the notification immediately ''to protect the interest ofthe Lords, sevaks and devotees at large.'' ''I request you to immediately withdraw the draftnotification under reference. If National Monuments Authorityis still of the considered view that any further regulatoryframework of any nature is required.

''And further the cause of 'Mula Peetha' (original seat)of Shree Jagannath) at Puri, you are invited for a detailedconsultation and discussion with members of Shree JagannathTemple Management Committee (SJTMC) before any such freshattempt is made,'' SJTA chief administrator Krishan Kumar saidin a letter to the NMA member secretary.