Bhubaneswar, February 8: Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Monday issued direction for withdrawal of notification for proposed Heritage Bye-laws for Lord Jagannath Temple (Shree Mandir), Puri.
The development came after two separate delegations of BJD and BJP MPs met the Union Minister in New Delhi conveying religious sentiments of the people of Odisha and Hindus across the nation attached with the 12th century shrine.
While the BJP delegation comprised Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Pratap Sarangi, Ashwini Vaishnav, Sangita Singh Deo, Nitesh Gangdev and Raghunath Mohapatra met Patel and submitted a memorandum requesting him to keep the Heritage byelaws on hold till consensus is reached among all the stakeholders like Odisha Government, Temple Management Committee, servitors and civil society as well, the BJD MPs led by Bhartruhari Mahtab met Patel demanding immediate withdrawal of bye-laws.
Yesterday, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar wrote to the National Monuments Authority (NMA) under the Ministry of Culture to withdraw the draft notification on heritage bye-laws for the 12th century shrine, which were published by and which prohibit development work in a specified area around it.
According to these heritage bye-laws, any development within 100 metres can’t be done as it will be a “prohibited area” and around 200 metres around notified monuments such as Shree Mandir. They will need permission from the NMA for development work.
