No objection to development work under ambit of law: Pradhan on Puri project

Amid the ongoing row over the controversial Heritage Corridor project at the 800-year-old Jagannath Temple here, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that there is no objection to development activity for benefit of devotees of the 12th-century shrine, but such work should be carried out within the ambit of law.The comment from the BJP leader holds significance as his party colleagues, including saffron camps national spokesperson Sambit Patra and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, demanded suspension of the work in the protected zone of the temple.

Amid the ongoing row over the controversial Heritage Corridor project at the 800-year-old Jagannath Temple here, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that there is ''no objection'' to development activity for benefit of devotees of the 12th-century shrine, but such work should be carried out within the ambit of law.

The comment from the BJP leader holds significance as his party colleagues, including saffron camp's national spokesperson Sambit Patra and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, demanded suspension of the work in the protected zone of the temple. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on May 9 informed the Orissa High Court that the project was being carried out without valid permission from the competent authority.

After visiting Angul on Saturday, Pradhan issued a one-page statement, mentioning that ''there is no objection to development works for benefit of devotees and beautification of the surrounding of the 12th-century shrine, but certain news coming to the fore in this regard were a matter of concern''.

''All developmental works should be carried out within the ambit of law. The state government should abide by the rules and laws enacted by the Government of India for the protection of mutts, temples, heritage sites and culture,'' he said.

However, the Union minister did not demand for suspension of work of the controversial corridor project as his party colleagues made earlier.

Pradhan said, ''It is not wise to ignore recovery of ancient idols and other heritage remains dating back to thousands of years from the surrounding of Shree Mandir. As a devotee of Lord Jagannath, I expect that the beautification works under the Puri Heritage Corridor Project be implemented within laws.'' Noting that Odisha is known for its rich culture and heritage, Pradhan said Shree Jagannath Temple is dotted with numerous mutts and monasteries which are several centuries old. ''These are symbols of Odisha's rich heritage and should not be destroyed on the plea of beautification,'' he said.

BJP's Sundargarh MP and former Union minister Jual Oram on Sunday demanded that work in the protected zone must be stopped immediately.

He accused Puri MP Pinaki Misra of misleading Parliament while making a statement on the heritage corridor project in the House. ''This is illegal to undertake any construction project in the protected zone. I doubt some officers are carrying out illegal work by hiding the truth from the chief minister. It is unfortunate that Puri MP Pinaki Misra misled Parliament while speaking on the Puri Heritage Corridor Project. I was present there when Pinaki babu made the statement,'' Oram, a tribal leader, alleged.

Misra had said that only four toilets were being constructed near the Jagannath Temple. He, however, later clarified that he could not mention other works being carried out at the temple due to the paucity of time in the Lok Sabha.

Oram said the state BJP president has already visited the construction site in Puri and will soon submit a report to the party's central leadership. ''Our party is not with any illegal construction,'' he said.

Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi said, ''Shree Jagannath Temple Administration has been asked by National Monuments Authority to revise its building plan; the office structure that would have come up within 200 mts. Law has to be followed. The structural safety of our Jagannath Temple is our top priority.'' Rejecting the BJP leaders' allegations, senior BJD leader and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) Mayor Subhas Singh said the charges are being made to halt the ongoing developmental works in Puri even as all parties had unanimously agreed to the project. The chief minister is committed to the overall development of Puri and transforming it into a world heritage site, Singh said.

Earlier, the state unit of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage appealed to the CM to temporarily suspend all construction activities near Jagannath Temple. Patnaik is incidentally one of the founding members of the body. The Orissa High Court had directed the state government to submit its reply to the observations made by ASI on its affidavit. The ASI said that the work on the corridor might have caused damage to the heritage site.

The high court, has, however, not ordered the stopping of work of the project.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)