BHUBANESWAR/PURI: From the dawn of the New Year, consumption of paan or gutkha and use of polythene on the premises of Shri Jagannath temple at Puri will draw a fine of Rs 1,000.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has decided to strictly enforce a complete ban on paan, gutkha and polythene in the shrine from January 1. None - be they servitors, temple police, government or SJTA officials, devotees and visitors - will be spared if found violating the ban, chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das said on Tuesday.
Das said though consumption of paan and gutkha has been prohibited in Srimandir since 2019, it has not been implemented properly. Although the temple is the most revered religious institution in the state, cleanliness is the biggest concern as the campus is replete with spit stains, empty gutka packets and polythene materials. The paan stained walls of all the temples within the premises also present a sorry picture, he said, while citing religious texts ‘Varaha Purana’ and ‘Niladri Mahodaya’ that stress on the importance of maintaining cleanliness of the temple.
“Apart from CCTVs, the Jagannath Temple Police will keep an eye on anyone found throwing gutka packets, polythene or chewing paan or any other tobacco products inside the shrine. We will put up posters urging people not to do so. From January 1, anyone found doing so will be fined Rs 1,000,” the temple administrator said.
He informed that 170 CCTV cameras will be installed all across the temple by the New Year. The SJTA has also written to the Chhatisha Nijog about the prevailing provision of penalty on consumption/use of tobacco products inside the temple. It has also urged its staff and servitors of the temple not to consume ‘paan’ and ‘gutka’ inside the temple. Besides, carrying flowers and ‘bhoga’ in polythene will not be allowed.
In 2019, the SJTA had decided to put a ban on betel leaves and tobacco products, including gutkha, as spitting inside the premises had become a menace. Then, the penalty amount was Rs 500.Earlier, the SJTA had also announced plans to implement a ‘decent attire’ norm for devotees from January 1. Although the temple administration has not prescribed any particular dress code, it has called for pant-shirts, kurta-pyjama, dhoti for men and sarees, salwar kameez for women devotees.Awareness drives are being organised by temple servitors for people coming to the temple in shorts, transparent and revealing clothes, ragged/torn jeans and other inappropriate apparel.