BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday directed officials to resume the beautification drive of Shreekshetra and Ekamra Kshetra from May 29. Work for the preservation of the heritage and grandeur of the 12th century Shri Jagannath Temple in Puri and 11th century Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar was suspended following imposition of a nationwide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
“We have had more than two months break due to the coronavirus where all work was stopped. Now we must hasten the work in both Puri and Bhubaneswar by day after tomorrow,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said after a review of the two projects.
He called for strict observance of social distancing and other safety measures as per the COVID-19 guidelines.
The Chief Minister was informed that land acquisition for projects like Shree Setu, Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre, Mahodadhi Market Comples and Municipal Market Complex was in progress and the process will take another 2-3 months.
Meanwhile, the architectural design for Shri Jagannath Heritage Corridor, redevelopment of Bada Danda (Grand Road), Temple administration building and Shri Jagannath Culture Centre has been given a final shape.
Similarly, development works around Lingaraj Temple here are at different stages of implementation. Land acquisition for beautification of the temple and Bindu Sagar will take a few more days. The design for the projects is under preparation, official sources said.
With Bindu Sagar, the oldest and largest water body of the state capital, and other holy ponds all set for a revamp, the state governmennt will sign an MoU with the Indian Chemical Institute, Mumbai shortly to improve the water quality of the lake.
The Chief Minister had flagged off several projects worth Rs 3,208 crore including Shree Setu, Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre and Multi-level Car Parking and Municipal Market Complex under the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme in January this year.