Shree Jagannath Temple Administration member seeks CM help

BHUBANESWAR: Member of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik has urged the state government to look into the repair and maintenance of inner Ratna Bhandar of the shrine.

In a letter to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday, Pattnaik said in 2018, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had recommended immediate repair of structural damages of the temple’s treasury.

“The report submitted to the SJTA by ASI has not been acted upon by the government since the last six years. In these six years, the damages in walls, ceiling and basement structure of the treasury may have further worsened. Besides, the laser scanning done in February this year also detected cracks on the outer walls of Ratna Bhandar,” he said.

Pattnaik urged the CM to instruct the ASI to take up repair work of inner Ratna Bhandar immediately in view of the monsoon that may lead to water seepage.