Expressing serious concern over the rejection of the report of the technical core committee on Jagamohan repair by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Director General, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday sought the personal intervention of the Prime Minister to protect the 900-year-old historical monument of Odisha.
In a letter to PM Modi Patnaik said the present distressed condition of Jagamohan, the prayer hall of the lord Jagannath Temple at Puri, needs emergency structural intervention to avoid any accidental failure.
“The condition of the inside of Jagamohan is alarming. Temporary supports are only provided now to avoid any accident and the devotees are not allowed to enter it from safety point of view, thereby depriving them from having a close darshan of the deities. These temporary support systems were further strengthened during the visit of Prime Minister to Puri on February 7,” Patnaik stated.
“An intervention scheme with stainless steel supporting frames to address the acute structural problems of the Jagamohan was forwarded by the Superintendent Archaeologist, Bhubaneswar for approval of the ASI DG based on the recommendation of the Technical Core Committee. Unfortunately, the same has been disapproved by the DG without proposing any alternative solution to avoid any unforeseen failure with suggestion for further study,” said Patnaik.
Proposing that the State Government would bear all the expenditures for the work, Patnaik said urged the PM to intervene in the matter personally to save this monument before any unfortunate incident.
“The ASI DG may be instructed to reconsider the proposal and come up with a concrete solution as early as possible in the interest of the safety of this holy shrine. The State Government undertakes to bear all the expenditures for the work,” Patnaik stated.