SAMBALPUR: The eviction drive to pave way for beautification and redevelopment of Samaleswari temple began from Kamlibazar locality in the city on Saturday. A part of the Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives (SAMALEI) scheme of the State government, the eviction saw three quarters of the Forest department at Kamlibazar near the temple demolished.
More quarters of other departments of the State government too will be cleared in the coming days. Enforcement officer of Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC), Subhankar Mohanty said the government quarters near the temple were vacated earlier. “We have started the demolition of the quarters in the first phase and will proceed to other areas as per the plan. The area required for development of the temple will be cleared under the drive,” he said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, during his visit to the temple on January 21 last year had announced to develop it. On January 19 this year, a team of the State government visited the shrine again to identify sites for expansion and beautification of the shrine.
The SAMALEI scheme will be implemented over 39 acre. As per the primary survey, around 200 families will be affected by the project. However, the government has assured a decent package to people who will be affected by the project. Around Rs 250 crore will be spent on development of the shrine.
The redevelopment is likely to give a boost to tourism here. With the project, the Samaleswari temple will undergo redevelopment on the lines of Puri Jagannath temple and Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar. It will include beautification and peripheral development of the temple and heritage corridor. The temple will also get state-of-the-art amenities for pilgrims.
On the other hand, the project has emerged as a cause of concern for hundreds of families residing in the century-old slum at Ghunghutipara. The residents are mainly people of SC category who earn a living by working as daily wage labourers. Though it has been planned to shift the residents to Durgapali, the slum dwellers have been protesting their eviction.