BHUBANESWAR: Amid frequent incidents of delay in conduct of rituals and tussling among servitors, the state government may soon promulgate the Lingaraj Temple Ordinance, 2020.This was decided at a meeting among ministers, officials and servitors presided over by chief secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena on Tuesday. The meeting was called in view of a three-hour delay in conduct if Shivaratri rituals and other irregularities at the shrine.
With the servitor bodies time and again demanding implementation of the ordinance to maintain and manage the affairs of the temple in a smooth and prescribed manner, the Law department officials present at the meeting said the government may soon introduce the ordinance. The state government will soon file its replies to two queries that were recently raised by the Centre on the ordinance, they informed.
In December 2020, the state cabinet had okayed the ordinance to govern the 11th century temple and subsequently, sought the approval of the Centre for its promulgation. However, the Centre had raised objections and sought replies to several questions it had raised including the ordinance’s conflict with the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act). The state had replied to the queries between March 3 and March 20, 2022.
“However, the Centre has again asked two questions on the ordinance and we will send the replies within a week’s time. This may be the final leg of queries the Centre has on the ordinance,” said an official of the Law department. On the occasion, the three nijogs demanded the endowment commissioner to re-allot the land to servitors that have been allocated entirely in the name of Lingaraj temple trust in the last few months.
The chief secretary asked the sevayats to produce the judgements basing on which, a decision on recording of Lingaraj land rights will be taken. It was also decided in the meeting that a permanent temple trust board will be formed for management of Lingaraj temple after six months (by September).