The controversy over the draft heritage bylaws for the Puri Sri Jagannath temple notified by the Nationwide Monuments Authority (NMA), which was quick build up as one more Centre versus state situation in Odisha, has been rapidly doused with the Union Ministry of Tradition withdrawing the principles on Monday. The proposed norms for the temple of Odisha’s most revered Lord, and imposing restrictions on constructions and developmental works round it had evoked outrage.
The timing of the bylaws, when a lot progress has been made on the heritage hall mission that entails beautification and all-round improvement of the temple periphery by the state authorities, was put to query. Understandably, there was a giant political backlash in opposition to the NMA transfer from not solely the ruling BJD but in addition the BJP. CM Naveen Patnaik paid a go to to the temple to ship a message and demanded rapid rollback. MPs of the BJP from Odisha, together with two Union ministers, adopted by one other from the BJD, met Union Tradition Minister Prahlad Patel, resulting in the withdrawal.
This newspaper broke the story on the restrictive bylaws framed by the NMA, which has now hopefully reached closure. It has been two years because the BJD authorities introduced the formidable heritage hall mission underneath which encroachments have been demolished and land was acquired to create a safe zone for the shrine and a spate of facilities for devotees who throng the commemorated dham in lakhs from throughout the globe yearly. The mission was taken up with a lot fanfare and each element was within the public area—which is why it was shocking that laws for such a delicate matter might be formulated with out session with the state authorities or the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration.
Patel’s assertion that the draft bylaws have been notified with out the information of the NMA chairman is much more intriguing. The abode of Lord Jagannath isn’t just one other monument of antiquity; it’s an inseparable a part of Odisha’s socio-religious and cultural heritage. Now that sanity has prevailed, the central monuments authority needs to be cautious earlier than treading on emotive issues. This have to be a lesson for the longer term.
