Worried over lack of adequate security systems for protection of the State’s various important sacred spiritual shrines, including the Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri, lord lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar and Sun Temple at Konark, leader of Opposition in the Assembly Bhupinder Singh has written to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to get an X-ray scanner installed to screen the pilgrims entering the 12th-century Jagannath Temple at least before the coming Rath Yatra.
In his letter to Patnaik, Singh said, “I have raised the issues in the Assembly several times but without any results. On June 28, 2010 while replying to a question in the Assembly, you had said that there was a proposal under ‘active consideration’ of the State Government to
install a sophisticated X-ray scanner in the Jagannath Temple at Puri like those installed in airports.”
Replying to another question on December 19, 2011, you had said that keeping in view the security of Jagannath Temple, Puri, a decision has been taken to implement a security surveillance plan in two phases over next five years, but no tangible result is yet to be seen.”
Singh urged Patnaik to streamline the security systems including installation of X-ray scanner at important places, including the Puri temple, at earliest even
before the Rath Yatra to protect the historical and the religious places and the lives of innocent devotees.