Puri would soon witness a lot of changes and give it a major facelift, said Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb after a meeting in Bhubaneswar with all stakeholders of the Puri Heritage Corridor Project on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Deb said measures are being taken to propagate the tradition and glory of the pilgrim town globally. The firm, which was awarded the project work, has already initiated steps in this regard, he added.
SJTA Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar, who attended the meeting, said the final plan of heritage corridor would be known during the last week of March or first week of April. Micro planning would be done for free movement in the Sahis (localities) around the Jagannath Temple. Secondly, adequate space like before would be provided for the annual Rath Yatra and the Ratha Khala (were chariots are made). Besides, special attention would be given for smooth conduct of the Yatras of deities held outside the temple.
He further said spaces would be earmarked near the temple for Sankirtans and Yajnas as suggested by the Gajapati Maharaja. Plans are afoot to make arrangements for 5,000 devotees to have Mahaprasad at a time.
However, sculptor Padma Vibhushan Raghunath Mohapatra, who was present at the meeting, expressed his displeasure over the quality of beautification work surrounding the Jagannath Temple. He expressed his interest to guide in the beautification work if consulted.