CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday could not proceed with the PIL seeking intervention against the constructions going on near the Jagannath temple complex under the Puri Heritage Corridor Project as the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) failed to file a reply to it. Dilip Kumar Baral, a resident of Puri town filed the petition raising a dispute over the constructions on the ground that they are being carried out within 75 metres of the temple.
The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act prohibits any new construction within 100 metres of the temple, the petition pointed out, expressing apprehensions that the constructions may pose threat to the temple.
On April 8, the court sought reply in the form of an affidavit from ASI as it was the custodian of the 12th century shrine, a Centrally protected monument. The ASI was directed to file the affidavit by April 18. But when the petition came up on Thursday the Assistant Solicitor General of India, Prasanna Kumar Parhi appeared on behalf of the ASI and stated that more time is required to file a detailed affidavit.
The petitioner counsel Anup Kumar Mohapatra sought interim orders, but the court refused to proceed with the PIL till the ASI makes its stand clear on the dispute raised in the petition. The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattanaik adjourned the matter to May 16 for hearing while granting two weeks’ time to ASI to file the reply. “It will be open to the ASI to take a joint inspection of the construction activities going on in the Jagannath temple complex area after advance information to the temple authorities,” the bench said in its order.
On April 8, the Advocate General AK Parija, appearing on behalf of the State government and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration had stated that the National Monument Authority (NMA) had issued a no objection certificate (NOC) for the constructions. The constructions included a cloak room, mini cloak room, sevayat room, toilets, shelter pavilion, pavement area including place for standing in a queue.
Questions raised over Assembly committee not meeting
Bhubaneswar: Amid raging controversy over construction work for the Puri heritage corridor project, questions are being raised on the assembly committee headed by Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro as its meeting is not being convened yet. Statement of the Speaker on the issue on Thursday indicates that a meeting of the committee is unlikely to be called in the near future. Patro said there is no problem in calling a meeting of the committee, but the matter is in the court. He said a discussion with the Law department is on to analyse the situation and find out whether it is possible for the house committee to intervene in a matter which is sub-judice. Earlier, several times the Speaker had avoided the issue of calling a meeting of the committee by stating that he will discuss the matter with the Works department. However, a senior member of the committee said there is no bar on the assembly committee meeting even if the matter is sub-judice. The members can also visit the site to take stock of the situation, he said. The state government had agreed to constitute an assembly committee headed by the Speaker on March 30 following pressure from the Opposition parties. Parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukha had said the committee will inspect the project around Srimandir.