BHUBANESWAR: In the thick of controversies over the ongoing work on Srimandir Parikrama project, the Odisha government has agreed to adhere to some suggestions made by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The Cultural Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Parikrama project which met on Wednesday evening decided to shift the proposed Shree Jagannath Reception Centre - a component of the 75 metre heritage corridor project - beyond the prohibited area (100 metre) of the Centrally protected Shree Jagannath temple.
The committee headed by Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singha Deb decided that the reception centre will be moved to regulated area (200 metre) of the monument.
In the original detailed project report (DPR) of the project, the Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation Limited (OBCC) had included the reception centre within 75 metre of the Meghnad Prachir of the shrine. The corporation is the executing agency.
DG ASI V Vidyavathi, however, had raised concern over the plan during her visit to review the project in February and pointed out that the proposed reception centre is at a distance of 75 metre from the temple. Since it will shelter a large number of devotees before they enter the shrine through a queue system, moving it beyond 100 metres will be good in the interest of security of the temple, she suggested.
The reception centre is planned to hold over 2,000 pilgrims at one go before they proceed to the main shrine. Excavation for it has been carried out within the prohibited zone in the south-east direction of the 12th century shrine of national importance but construction is yet to begin.
A member of the Cultural Advisory Committee said that for better management of the crowd, it was decided to move the proposed facility from the prohibited zone to the regulated zone.
Sources, however, pointed out that the reception centre does not come under the definition of public amenities as per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act), 2010 which governs all the Centrally-protected monuments.
Only public amenities like drinking water and electricity for public, cloak rooms can come up within the prohibited zone.
It may be noted that Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had submitted a revised DPR on the project to the ASI, Bhubaneswar circle, on April 6 this year, three months after it started work on it. The DG ASI had asked SJTA to rework on the DPR by aligning it with the AMASR Act.
The advisory committee also decided after examining current land availability that Outer Access Road will be developed in the available width. After acquisition of balance land, required extensions will be made.