The National Green Tribunal has been moved by an environmentalist to protect the Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri from pollution caused by the burning of firewood for cooking of Mahaprasad in the shrine and cremation of dead bodies at the Swargadwar. "The Mahaprasad of the Jagannath Temple is cooked in firewood ovens. Such rampant use of firewood for cooking besides cremation at the Swargadwar by the sea adds tremendously to the city's pollution load, which ultimately will affect the temple structures," eminent Kolkata-based environmentalist Subhas Dutta said in his petition.
Dutta has also urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to either relocate the Swargadwar cremation ground to a distant place or ensure installation of an electric crematorium if it cannot be done on sentimental grounds. "Electric crematorium should be set up there and burning of dead bodies through open flame must be restricted," Dutta has said in his appeal.
The kitchen of the Shree Jagannath Temple can cater food for one lakh people everyday. "Such a huge kitchen is operated using fossil fuel like firewood. This creates environmental hazards by spreading smoke in the vicinity of the temple and also causes considerable deforestation. Such a practice cannot be allowed simply in the name of religion," Dutta has argued.
He has suggested that eco-friendly fuel like lPG be used for cooking inside the temple premises.
Among other pleas, he has sought conversion of one-km radius around the temple into a vegetarian zone and declaring Puri a world heritage zone.