JAGATSINGHPUR: Union Minister of Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs, Bisweshwar Tudu, called upon the collector of Jagatsinghpur and the Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation Limited to accelerate the renovation work at Sarala Temple. His intervention came in response to concerns raised by sevayats, and devotees over the prolonged delay in the completion of the temple’s restoration, causing inconvenience.
Tudu, the chief guest at the concluding day of the Jhankad Boita Bandan festival in Kanakpur under Tirtol block, visited Sarala Temple on Thursday, offering prayers to Goddess Maa Sarala. Priests and sevayats conveyed their dissatisfaction with the delayed renovation, seeking intervention from the state government and administration, which, so far, has yielded no tangible results.
Last year, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned Rs 42 crores for the development of Maa Sarala Temple under the Integrated Development of Heritage and Monuments and Tourists Destination. Despite the directive to complete the works within a year, the scheduled period has lapsed, with no substantial progress reported even after a review visit by the then 5T secretary VK Pandian in June 2023.
“I have contacted the construction agency of Sarala temple but received no response. I will follow up to determine the cause for the delay. I have instructed collector Parul Patwari to expedite the renovation work and expressed the intention to propose National Heritage Status for the temple once the state government submits the proposal,” the minister stated.