BARIPADA: Carpenters of Haribaldevjew Temple in Dwitiya Srikhetra, Baripada, have voiced dissatisfaction with the Endowments department following its failure to procure wood for the construction of three chariots for Rath Yatra, scheduled to begin on Akhaya Tritiya on May 10.
Baripada faces an annual crisis of wood shortage, a concern repeatedly raised by the carpenters. This year, the situation has worsened as over 70 percent of old wood and logs, previously used for construction, have decayed due to inadequate preservation measures.
Ratha Maharana, head carpenter overseeing the chariot construction, Mrityunjay Mohapatra, expressed concerns over the lack of measures to preserve the wood, noting that traditional preservation practices had been disrupted by administrative protocols, resulting in significant deterioration of the wood’s quality. “The dismantled woods were put on open place without preservation that led to the deterioration due to exposure in rain and sun. Now cracks have developed in woods which will be a risk to use,” he said. Despite request to the Endowments department and the district collector, the wood shortage has reportedly not been addressed.
Mohapatra said, all the carpenters met Mayurbhanj collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde on Monday and requested him to provide wood before Akhaya Tritiya. The collector assured the logs would reach the Rath construction site soon.
DFO of Baripada A Umamahesh assured trees earmarked for chariot construction have been identified and steps are underway for their procurement and delivery to the construction site. “A coordination meeting regarding arrangement of wood was held in presence of Mayurbhanj collector, Baripada, Karanjia, Rairangpur and STR South DFOs and the requirement will be taken care of,” he stated.