BHUBANESWAR: In view of the delay in rehabilitation and resettlement of the Mahantas displaced during demolition of mutts for implementation of ABADHA scheme in Puri, the district administration has asked the Works department to allot Rs 3.95 crore for payment to Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) for their accommodation.
In a letter to engineer-in-chief and special secretary of the Works department Laxmi Kanta Padhi, Puri collector Dibya Jyoti Parida pointed out that several mutts, lodges and private properties located near the Shree Jagannath Temple were demolished during execution of the scheme.
The district administration had then allotted rooms to the Mahantas and Vidyarthees of the displaced mutts at the Nilachala Bhakta Niwas and Nilachala Yatri Niwas for temporary accommodation which formed part of the approved rehabilitation and resettlement framework of the project.
The Puri collector said the district administration had purchased 1.32 acre land from the SJTA at a cost of Rs 16.01 crore for construction of 13 mutts. He said while preparation of record of rights in favour of these mutts was under process, the SJTA utilised 0.21 acre out of 0.34 acre land for establishment of an effluent treatment plant. Besides, 0.03 acre land earmarked for Narasingha Achari Matha is proposed to connect the Parikrama marg (Southern side) to Swetaganga.
Parida said the SJTA could not allot equal patches of land for allotment to Emar Matha and Narasingha Achari Matha. Similarly, the SJTA land which was under possession of the Bada Santha Matha, but purchased from the SJTA for allotment to five different mutts could not progress due to an interim order from the Orissa High Court.
This apart, another interim order from the Orissa High Court has directed the Languli Matha, Bada Akhada Math, Magu Matha and Emar Math not to distribute shops allotted to them to their tenants. Besides, the SJTA land now under possession of Uttarparswa Matha is also embroiled in civil dispute.
Stating that the SJTA has intimated that Rs 3.95 crore is pending only towards rent and this should be paid from the land acquisition fund, the collector said the amount was not currently available with the district administration. He referred to a resolution published by the Law department on August 27, 2019, which said any development and infrastructure works including financing of land acquisition costs, redevelopment, any other scheme or project under recommendations of Justice BP Das Commission will be carried out by the Works department.
