Bhubaneswar, Jun 19: The Odisha government is yet to decide on the reopening of the Ratna Bhandar of the Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said on Wednesday.

Harichandan made the statement after Superintending Archaeologist of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), D.B. Garnayak told the press that they were prepared to start repairing the Ratna Bhandar or treasury from July 8, adding to the speculations that it would be opened on Rath Jatra on July 7.

"No decision has so far been taken on the opening of Ratna Bhandar," the Minister said.

Criticising the ASI officer, Harichandan said, "Action will be taken against him for giving wrong and misleading information."

Earlier in the day, senior ASI official D.B. Garnayak said that the Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri will be opened on July 8 when the holy triads will be out of the shrine on the annual nine-day sojourn.

"The Ratna Bhandar will be opened on July 8 in the presence of the technical core conservation committee of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the 12-member Ratna Bhandar committee formed by the state government. Following the inspection and assessment of the condition of the treasury trove of the 12th century shrine, decisions will be taken regarding the immediate steps needed for conservation and preservation of Ratna Bhandar," Garnayak said.

The ASI official further added that several cracks and broken stone pieces and missing iron beams were spotted during the inspection of the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar in 2018.

Meanwhile, noted sand artist and Padma Shri Sudarshan Pattanik urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take immediate steps towards the repair of Ratna Bhandar.

The missing keys of Ratna Bhandar was one of the major poll planks of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had assured to initiate a probe into the mystery behind the missing keys and carry out an inventory of the ornaments stored in the treasure trove if the party wins the elections.

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