The Sahi Bhai, an outfit of the city, in a memorandum to
Collector Samarth Verma, has demanded to stop the works for the
Heritage Corridor project near the Jagannath Temple as a crack has appeared in the structure. The outfit’s members in a meeting
blamed the digging of ground near the shrine by use of heavy machines.
Giving a 24-hour ultimatum to stop the works, the outfit informed that
they would take to streets as the construction works are a threat to
the temple. Besides, the construction works are illegal, they stated.
A team of members of the outfit visited the temple to ascertain
about the crack, which some media have reported. They visited the
Natya Mandap to see the crack of about a foot in its structure. The
memorandum came following works that have been undertaken by Tata
Company within a 100-meter restricted zone of the shrine. For this,
heavy machines are operating near the temple.
“Due to vibrations of machines, a crack has occurred in the structure,”
said activist Niharika Tripathy. Tripathy raised apprehensions over
safety of the structure.