Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to enact legislations on the lines of the Jagannath Temple and the Lingaraj Temple for four more iconic shrines in the State. Pradhan said Ordinances should also be brought out for the management of affairs of the Maa Biraja Temple in Jajpur, Maa Samaieswari Temple in Sambalpur. Maa Tara Tarini Temple in Ganjam and Nilamadhav Temple in Nayagarh, which have immense religious and socio-cultural significance for the people of the State. “I request your personal intervention in bringing these temples under legislative guidelines along the lines of Shree Jagannath Temple Act.
1955 and Shri Lingaraj Temple Ordinance, 2020 thereby appointing an empowered committee to manage the day-to-day affairs of these temples, he said. Such legal provisions would not only bring a high standard of accountability to the management of the temples with necessary provision for budgeting, planning and audits, etc., but also safeguard the long-term interest of temples and pave the way of offering better facilities to visitors and devotees, Pradhan added.