Puri: The boundary wall of Emar mutt here caved in following a light rain in the wee hours Wednesday.
Though no one was injured in the mishap, debris of the collapsed wall blocked a road connecting Matimandap Sahi and Kalika Devi Sahi. Sources said the municipal authorities of the city engaged a few tractors to remove the debris.
Locals claimed that the boundary wall was in a decrepit condition for the last several months. “A portion of the boundary wall caved in around 5.45am immediately after a drizzle. No one was injured in the mishap,” said a local.
On being informed, councillor Sabita Mishra reached the spot and apprised municipality executive officer Sanjay Mishra of the incident following which the debris were removed.
Subsequently, municipality chairperson Jayanta Kumar Sarangi, enforcement officer Abhimanyu Behera and other officials visited the mutt and took stock of the situation. “Emar mutt is one of the richest religious institutions in the country. But, the main building of the mutt and some of its subsidiary structures have become unsafe for quite some time,” Sarangi said.
Mishra said the civic body was unable to raze the dilapidated structure as the High Court had ordered a status quo. “We will inform the HC that the remaining portion of the boundary wall may collapse anytime. We will urge the court to allow us to demolish the unsafe structure to prevent any mishap in future,” Mishra said.
In a related development, the civic body asked at least seven families to vacate the unsafe houses on the mutt premises within 24 hours. “We will seal all unsafe buildings of Emar mutt,” Behera said.
Notably, several silver ingots were found in an abandoned room of the mutt in 2011.
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