Post News Network
Raghunathpur, May 3: The state government’s offer of a home guard job to the son of the man on whose land the Jagannath ‘daru’ at Kharipadia village under this block in Jagatsinghpur district was found has drawn flak from several quarters.
The matter came to fore after director general of police (DGP) Sanjeev Marik Sunday visited the site to review law and order situation. During his visit, Marik in a grand gesture offered the job to Arakhita Mallick for his son.
Marik accompanied by collector Satya Kumar Mallick,
inspector general (IG) RP Koche, SP Sudha Singh reviewed the law and order situation in view of the surging crowds at the site.
He said Arakhita Mallick’s son will be given a home-guard job as he possessed ownership over the Neem tree for several years.
Marik’s announcement soon sent the chatters abuzz as people termed it as ridiculous and a crude gesture on the
part of the government to a man who had grown the holy tree for decades.
They alleged the administration is yet to keep its promise to Punananda Samal in Ramakrushnapur village of Salipur in Cuttack district on whose land Balabhadra ‘daru’ had been discovered for 1996 Nabakalebara.
Then Puri collector Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, who is currently the chief administrator of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration, had offered him Rs 7 lakh after the tree was designated as the holy wood for Lord Balabhadra.
But, Samal had refused the offer but instead wanted the administration to construct a Jagannath temple and a house with an in-built pipeline to conserve it for posterity.
The administration promised to meet his demand but only to forget this once the tree had been felled and taken to Puri. Nineteen years have passed but the administration is yet to remember its promise.
However, this time around, the promise itself has been a crude one which has shocked many.