Puri Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor work to resume from May 29; CM directs authorities

As the country starts to ease its COVID-19 lockdown, the development work of Puri Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor and Lingaraj Temple in Odisha's Bhubaneswar is to start from Friday, May 29. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a video conferencing with Collector of Puri and other government officials including Chief Secretary, Development Commissioner and directed the authorities to commence the construction work. The work was halted due to the lockdown that has been imposed in the country to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. 

In December last year, the Chief Minister had released the draft architectural plan of the Shree Jagannath Heritage Corridor Project, Puri. He had also called upon people to give their suggestions. Later, in January this year, CM Patnaik had flagged off several projects worth Rs 3,208 crore including Shree Setu, Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre, and multi-level car parking and municipal market complex under the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme.

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Jagannath Yatra Chariot construction on-going 

On May 10, the construction of chariots for the annual Rath Yatra begun in Puri, Odisha, even as the country completed its seventh week of lockdown due to coronavirus. The yatra is scheduled for June 23. According to Administrator Development Officer, Jagannath Temple Administration Ajay Jena, a total of 72 workers are constructing the chariot. The Centre had given approval for construction with certain conditions. 

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The 12th-century shrine in Puri has remained closed for devotees since March 22, though the temple rituals are being followed by the priests as usual. Earlier, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in the state had suspended the "Rukuna Rath Yatra", the annual festival of Lord Lingaraj, this year due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown.

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(With ANI Inputs)