Shivani Thakur
Published on: May 30, 2022 at 20:24 IST
The Supreme Court will hear a plea seeking restraining the Odisha government from excavation and construction in and around the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha, amid concerns over its structural safety.
The Bench agreed to take up the Plea, which has challenged the Orissa High Court order refusing to restrain the state sought its urgent listing.
“It is being filed in the interest of the general public and to protect the heritage of Lord Shree Jagannath”, the Plea stated.
Appellant has told the Court the ongoing excavation and construction as part of the Jagannath Temple Corridor Project “is in gross violation of Section 20A of The Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR), 1958”.
However, it pointed out, the state is trying to do some construction “adjacent to the western side of what is called the Meghanand Pacheri, an integral part of the temple”.
The Plea has raised fears that heavy earth-moving equipment digging “as much as 30 feet into the earth” is putting pressure on the temple’s basement/ foundation.