Like the three farm laws framed without consulting stakeholders, the National Monuments Authority last week released draft bylaws for sever...
Like the three farm laws framed without consulting stakeholders, the National Monuments Authority last week released draft bylaws for several shrines in Odisha. The proposed regulations prohibit construction within a radius of 100 metres of any archaeological site.
This was done without seeking the views of temple administrations or the state’s ruling Biju Janata Dal government.
The list of archeological sites identified by the National Monuments Authority, which functions under the jurisdiction of the Union culture ministry, included the iconic temple of Jagannath in Puri and the Brahmeswar and Ananta Basudev temples in the state capital, Bhubaneswar.
The famous Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar is also covered in the scope of the bylaws.
Huge uproar
The draft bylaws have caused a huge uproar in Odisha. Last year, the state government, after consultation and persuasion, decided to clear structures within 75 meters of the Jagannath temple in Puri to develop it as a world heritage site. The project will involve an investment of Rs 3,500 crore.
The Odisha government also plans to develop the Lingaraj temple and its surroundings, known as Ekamra Khetra, as a heritage site at the cost of ₹700 crore.
The draft bylaws will not allow this.
When Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited Puri on February 8 for the first...
