Odisha CM felicitates families who vacated lands for Jagannath Temple

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik felicitated 11 families on Wednesday for voluntarily giving away their land for the security and beautification of Jagannath Temple in Puri. The Chief Minister presented silver filigree Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra idols to the families at an event organised at Loka Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneshwar. Earlier, Patnaik had appealed to the people of Puri to volunteer in vacating their houses for the safety of the 12th-century shrine.

Patnaik told the families that their sacrifice would be remembered by the people of Odisha. He said, "People of Odisha will be indebted to you for this."

Asserting that the state government has been offering a good rehabilitation package, Patnaik urged others to avail of the benefits of the scheme and cooperate with the administration in strengthening the security of the temple.

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"Your sacrifice will add a new history in the service of Lord Jagannath. The future generations of Odisha will remember your sacrifice," he said. The Odisha government has recently launched a demolition drive around the 12th-century old Hindu shrine to free it from encroachments within 75 meters from the temple's boundary wall.

Earlier, the Supreme Court has called out the government of Odisha for demolishing old mutts around the Jagannath temple in Puri. The state government has claimed that these mutts were “old” and “dilapidated” whereas, the activists said that these mutts were essential to worship in the temple. The apex court has asked the state government to stop the demolition of the mutts immediately. They directed the government to consult spiritual leaders like Puri Shankaracharya and other stakeholders before taking any step. 

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Redevelopment Projects

The three redevelopment projects in Puri were approved by Naveen Patnaik on September 5. The redevelopment projects included a project worth Rs 25 crore for the reconstruction of Raghunandan library, a housing project worth Rs 95 crore for rehabilitation of the displaced people from the security zone of Jagannath Temple, and a project to construct the Heritage Security Zone.

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The Jagannath Temple of Puri

The Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath, a form of Lord Maha Vishnu. The present temple was rebuilt in the 10th Century by the first King of Eastern Ganga Dynasty, Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva.

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(With input from agencies)