BARIPADA: Two teams comprising a welfare extension officer and a junior engineer of Betnoti block along with a revenue inspector of Brahmapura Revenue department rushed to Bada Chhuruni on Friday to take stock of the Nrusinghanath temple’s condition.
The action came after The New Indian Express report ‘Modest 100 gm flattened rice offered as bhog to Lord Nrushinghanath’ highlighting the temple’s condition, was published in these columns on Friday. The report had extensively covered the plight of the 118-year-old shrine struggling to even offer food to the deities due to alleged apathy of the Endowments Department and district administration.
The officials on the day reportedly inspected the shrine and further checked the land documents besides examining the encroached land. “Mayurbhanj collector Vineet Bhardwaj directed the sub-collector-cum-authority of Endowments department, Baripada, to inspect the shrine and submit inquiry reports with immediate effect,” said temple trustee Girish Chandra Biswal.
The officials assured that the encroached land will be brought back and a pond in the name of the temple will be developed after the renovation work is complete. “Besides, they also informed that a guest house, store room, kitchen, servitors’ room, an office for administrative work, a boundary wall and a Yangna Kunda will be established at the site,” Biswal added.