Puri: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is all set to lay the foundation stone for the Srimandir Heritage Corridor project at a special programme here Wednesday.
Apart from Patnaik, his Cabinet colleagues and many other dignitaries are also scheduled to participate in the foundation laying ceremony, sources said.
The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Monday started a three-day Yagya (sacred offering to the fire god) ahead of the stone laying ceremony.
The CM will lay the foundation stone for the mega project, being implemented within 75-metre radius of the 12th century shrine, immediately after the completion of the Yagya rituals, sources said.
“The locals of the Holy City, who have donated their land for the mega project, would be felicitated during the event. A model of the heritage corridor project would also be unveiled at the ceremony,” said state government’s media advisor Manas Mangaraj at a presser here Tuesday.
The district administration, meanwhile, stepped up security near Srimandir to avoid any untoward incident during the event.
At least 25 platoons of armed police personnel, three additional SPs, 10 DSPs and 40 inspectors would be deployed in the city during the Chief Minister’s visit, sources said.
“The shops along both sides of the Grand Road from Srimandir to the Hospital Square would remain closed from 6am to 12 noon as part of the security arrangements,” said Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh.
The opposition Congress and BJP, meanwhile, alleged that the public discontent over the murder of teacher Mamita Meher in Kalahandi has forced the Puri district administration to arrange an unprecedented level of security for the Chief Minster’s visit to the Pilgrim city.
PNN