BHUBANESWAR: Days after her "missing" posters blazoned across the temple city and BJD leaders questioning her silence on the controversial draft heritage by-laws for protected monuments, BJP’s Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Monday tore into the regional party for its "motivated campaign" against the Centre by keeping the people of Odisha in dark.
Turning the tables on the BJD government for giving an impression to the people that the Centre is putting a spanner on the heritage development plans through by-laws under The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Framing of Heritage By-laws and other functions of the Competent Authority) Rules 2011, Sarangi said since the Director of Culture of the State government is the competent authorities to frame by-laws for protection of heritage monuments, the State government claim that it was not consulted is ridiculous.
Draft by-laws framed by the Ministry of Culture for five shrines including the one for Shri Jagannath Temple and subsidiary shrines (withdrawn recently) are
posted on the official website inviting suggestions and objections. The state government has not given its views even after the 30 days time given.
"The State government is misleading the people that it and other stakeholders were not consulted. This is politically motivated to blame the Narendra Modi government which is working for the development of the people," Sarangi said. "There is no meaning in demanding withdrawal of by-laws as it is mandatory under the principal Act (The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958) and rules thereof," she said.
The Bhubaneswar MP said people are curious to know what is in the detailed project reports (DPRs) for redevelopment of Jagannath and Lingaraj temples which the state government is not prepared to share with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
She wanted to know why the BJD government has not responded to nine letters and two show-cause notices by ASI between June 2018 and January 2021. The BJP MP said, "I have never seen an incompetent and ignorant government which has been writing letter after letter to the Centre for withdrawal of by-laws knowing well that the by-laws cannot be retracted."
Posing five questions to the BJD government, Sarangi who smelt a rat in the selection of two architectural firms for the redevelopment of peripheral of Sri Jagannath temple and Lingaraj temple sought to know the method of selection.
Claiming that development of the two sites is estimated to cost Rs 800 crore, the former bureaucrat said, two firms -- one from Noida (for Puri development) and the other from Bengaluru (for Ekamra) -- have no expertise in heritage development.
“The people have the right to know if the selection was made under 5T principle as there was no bidding,” she asked.
With the government silent on the destruction of several ancient monuments like Emar Mutt and Raghunandan Library in Puri and some valuable structure near Suka-Sari temple here, she asked: "Will the government fix responsibility for wiping out part of the religious-cultural history of the state?"