Bhubaneswar, Feb 29: In a major development, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday formed a high-level committee under the chairmanship of former Supreme Court judge Arijit Pasayat to supervise the process of inventorisation and counting of the jewellery and other valuables stored in Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.

According to the CMO, renowned cardiologist Dr. Ramakant Panda has been appointed as the vice chairman of the committee.
Other members of the committee include Bidhubhushan Samal (former CMD of Allahabad Bank), AK Sabat (Chartered Accountant), a representative of Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, a representative of Archeological Survey of India, Durga Prasad Dasmohapatra (sevayat), Madhav Chandra Mohapatra (sevayat), Jagannath Kar (sevayat), Ganesh Mekap (sevayat), Puri Collector and Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).

The SJTA Chief Administrator will be the convener of the Committee, the CMO said.

The development came after the Orissa High Court asked the Odisha government on February 16 to appoint the Chairman of the committee for the Ratna Bhandar of the Srimandir within four weeks.

For the last few months, the demand for the opening of the Ratna Bhandar has been getting louder. The last time the inventory of ornaments was made was in 1978.

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has already given its nod for the opening up of the Ratna Bhandar, sources said. 

Read More Odisha News