Bhubaneswar, Nov 5: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha on Tuesday said that multiple cracks have appeared on the Meghanada Pacheri, outer boundary wall of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, due to “callousness” of the previous Biju Janata Dal government during the construction work of the the Srimandir Parikrama project.

In a social media post, BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said that former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his close associate VK Pandian have made some mistakes for which the people of Odisha have to pay price now.

“There are some mistakes which cannot be forgiven. During the previous government, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his associate VK Pandian committed some mistakes that the people of Odisha have to pay the price for it. It is sad how they risked an ancient heritage for their own political gain,” Biswal wrote on his Facebook post.

The temple of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath is our pride and identity. Now the cracks that have appeared at the Meghnad Pacheri is a matter of concern for crores of Jagannath devotees. After the matter came to light, the Archaeological Department and the State government started its repairing work. But the question is why did it happen?” he asked.

“During the construction of the Parikrama project, huge holes were dug around the shrine by using heavy machines that affected the Meghnad Pacheri. Initially, the holes were dug without the permission of the Department of Archeology and the National Monuments Authority. Such illegal work was carried out without complying with the AMASR Act of 1958 for which the case was taken to the court. Under what circumstances, the digging work was done without conducting any heritage impact study? As per the rule of National Monument Authority, no digging work could be done within 100 meters periphery of the temple. The way digging work was done around a 900-year-old ancient temple by using huge machines, its stability was damaged. Now, it is affecting Meghanada Pacheri. Who will say that it won’t affect the Temple in coming days,” he added.

“It is surprising that if the roads and toilets were to be constructed, then why such huge holes were dug around the temple? Isn’t it a conspiracy? Naveen Babu and Pandian Babu should clear air over the matter,” the BJP leader opined.

Meanwhile, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has requested Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct immediate repair and restoration of the Meghanada Pacheri.

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