BHUBANESWAR: Unhappy with the curbs on height of its new office under the Srimandir Parikrama Project in Puri, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has urged the National Monument Authority (NMA) to reconsider its recommendations as far as the proposed structure is concerned.
At a meeting on September 9, the four-member NMA panel headed by its chairman Sachchidanand Joshi asked the SJTA and Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation (OBCC) to submit a fresh proposal for construction of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration Office building in the regulated zone (beyond 100 metres) of the Srimandir by restricting its height to 7.5 metres (inclusive all floors).
NMA asked the SJTA and OBCC to submit the proposal to it through the competent authority - the Director of Culture, Government of Odisha.Earlier on March 3 this year when SJTA submitted its detailed project report for the Parikrama project, NMA had pointed out that height of all the structures coming up under the project be limited to 7.5 mtr so that none of them obstruct the view to the main shrine.
Srimandir administrator AK Jena said the existing SJTA office is 12.19 mtr in height and it was approved by the NMA in September 2014, prior to the Nabakalebara. “When the existing building was 12.19 mtr high, how can we reduce the new office height to 7.5 mtr now? Hence, we have written to the NMA competent authority to seek reconsideration of the building height to 12.19 mtr,” he said.
Sources said digging of earth had already started for the SJTA office and it was planned keeping in mind the existing height. In the detailed project report for the Parikrama project, the SJTA office building has been proposed to be a G+2 structure where dignitaries and guests will be received and they can witness the Rath Yatra of the Lords from the facility.
However, with NMA restricting the height, the SJTA administrator said it would not be congruous with the existing structure.Not just the SJTA office but NMA has also restricted height of the Shree Jagannath Reception Centre.