Bhubaneswar: A high-level ASI officials led by DG Usha Sharma on Friday visited the Konark Sun Temple and found no structural damage caused to the monument due to the cyclone Fani.
The team informed that said the monument will be opened to public in next two-three days.
The team will also inspect the Jagannath temple in Puri.
“The team observed that by and large there is no structural damage to the Monument. The team has informed that there is some dislocation in the scaffolding provided for chemical cleaning at upper level which is being set right. More than 200 trees have been damaged which are being cleared. The electric and illumination system including internet access has gone out of order, restoration of which will take some time. The monument will be opened to public in next 2-3 days,” said a PIB release.
“The chemical cleaning and consolidation of eastern face will be completed on priority. The monument will be restored back to normal within about a fortnight,” it added.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written to Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma requesting him to send a high-level team of experts of ASI to assess the damage caused to the Jagannath Temple and Sun Temple by cyclone Fani that barrelled through the eastern coast in Odisha’s Puri district on May 3 morning.
Cyclone Fani, the extremely severe cyclonic storm, made landfall around 8 am in Puri on May 3 morning causing widespread destruction 11 districts including Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and 41 reported deaths. It also caused significant structural damages to the 12th century shrine in Puri.
