Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) technical core committee chairman GC Mitra, who was looking after the repair work of Jagamohan, the chamber facing the sanctum sanctorum of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, resigned from his post on Saturday.
Mitra sent in his resignation letter to the ASI DG and the Superintendent.
Though the exact reason behind Mitra’s resignation was unknown, it was believed that he might have taken the decision after the ASI rejected the financial estimates and the repair plan of the Jagamohan prepared by the core committee.
When asked, Mitra refused to comment on his resignation and said, “It is an internal matter of the ASI and the core committee.”
Talking to a TV channel, Mitra said, “The condition of the Jagamohan is really serious and its repair is urgently required. If it’s not done in time, a Sun Temple-like situation cannot be overruled.”
“Cracks have developed in the beams and columns of the Jagamohan. Mishap will not come giving a notice. It will come at any time,” Mitra cautioned.
“When cracks develop in the roof of our house, do we live in thatIJ” he asked. Similarly, how can we expect that our god will reside in the temple in such a dilapidated conditionIJ” he further questioned.
Notably, a high-level meeting of the ASI held on May 5 in New Delhi had disapproved the core committee’s estimated expenditure of Rs2.5 crore towards purchase of stainless steel to be used in the repair work.
Besides, a decision was taken at the meeting to form another committee led by the ASI Joint DG to re-inspect the Jagamohan.
The technical core committee of the ASI was formed in 2006 under the chairmanship IIT Kharagpur professor AP Gupta.In a first for Indian Railway, the Ministry is laying a 20-km-long test track, equipped with a state-of-the-art laboratory, near Raipur for trial of high-speed and regular trains it plans to introduce. The 20-km test track, including a 5 km loop line, will be developed at an estimated cost of about Rs100 crore.
The facility will be used for technical acceptance tests and approvals of locomotives, rolling stock under operating condition and personnel training. Besides new locomotives and coaches, the test track will also be used for trial of high axle load wagons.
Currently, the trial of new trains are conducted on the existing rail network causing traffic delays. Test tracks are used for trial run of new trains in countries, including the US, Japan and South Korea.