Puri: The district administration Monday launched a demolition drive around the boundary wall (Meghanada Pacheri) of Puri Srimandir, amid protests by a section of people here. Many illegal structures adjacent to the temple boundary wall were demolished.
The eviction drive beside the ‘Meghanada Pacheri’ (boundary wall of Srimandir) began in presence of the district Collector, superintendent of police and eight magistrates. A strong police contingent was also deployed in the area.
The demolition drive virtually began Sunday night with the authorities pulling down the steel railings atop the Srimandir information centre. “It was around 6am Monday when the work began from the South Gate. A two-storey toilet complex, a prasad shop, cloak room, shoe stand and PHEO pump house were among the structures which were razed near the South Gate,” said a source, adding that piles of garbage along the temple boundary was also cleared.
Later, the structures near Srimandir West Gate like the district information and public relations information centre, Singhadwar police out-post, the Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu) of Odisha office and a toilet facility were also demolished, added the source. The demolition drive, however, halted around 6pm.
When asked, district Collector Balwant Singh said the demolition was being carried out in line with the directive of the Orissa High Court and suggestions of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Sub-Collector Bhabataran Sahu, meanwhile, said that the remaining structures will be razed Tuesday. “We’re taking suggestions of the intellectuals before relocating the statue of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das from the Lions’ Gate,” Sahu pointed out.
“The administration will ensure that essential services are not disrupted. The eviction process is underway in the presence of adequate number of police and magistrates,” Additional Collector Binaya Kumar Dash said Monday.
Dash said a decision on eviction of structures within 75 metre from the boundary wall will be taken later. The affected people raised slogans and showed placards alleging that they were being evicted following the recommendation of a committee that held no public hearing.
However, they did not try to obstruct the demolition drive.
They said their houses and business establishments were located near the boundary wall of the temple for generations together and the eviction was illegal.
Opposing the move, several organisations earlier said at least 12 major mutts and shrines associated with the temple are located within 75 metre of the boundary wall.
Besides private properties, government installations such as a power supply office, a temple information centre and a police outpost are located within 75 metre of the temple. Official sources said the government would provide compensation to owners of the private properties and relocate the government installations.