In response to the Supreme Court judgment on the Shreemandir Heritage Project, Bhubaneswar BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi on Saturday said it has clearly exposed the lies of the State Government that it was not violating the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMSAR) Act, 1958.
A statement from the MP said that the State Government has admitted before the Orissa High Court and the Supreme Court that the Reception Centre (which was designed as a 14-meter-tall building and would have clearly affected the safety and security of the temple) was being shifted beyond 100 meters of the temple, the prohibited area.
She said the Supreme Court has clearly outlined that the heritage project was absolutely essential for tourist amenities like toilets, cloak room, etc. The State Government has also submitted before the Supreme Court that only these kinds of amenities are being done. “It is also very clear after the judgment of the Supreme Court that, henceforth, works will have to be done in coordination with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Until now, the works were going on in clear disregard to the ASI. Any violation of this will be treated as a violation of the guidelines of the AMSAR Act and the judgment,” the statement mentioned. Sarangi pointed out that the movement on Sreemandir Banchao was clearly based on safety and security issue of Lord Jagannath’s temple.
She questioned that when the matter was being examined in detail by the Orissa High Court, at this stage, why the petitioners had approached the Supreme Court. Notwithstanding that, the SC judgment on June 3 is a victory for those concerned with the safety and security of the temple and clearly defines the boundary within which the State Government will have to undertake the project, she said.