Bhubaneswar: Keeping the promise made by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the state Cabinet Monday decided to implement new law for better management of Lingaraj temple here, through ordinance route.
While conducting an on-spot review of Ekamra Kshetra heritage project December 2, Naveen had promised temple Sevayats to bring the Lingaraj Temple Act “soon”. The Cabinet cleared the ordinance within 12 days of the request from the Sevayats.
Briefing media persons, Finance minister Niranjan Pujari said, “Shri Lingaraj temple has elaborate and exhaustive rituals and Seva-puja like Shri Jagannath temple, Puri. Presently, the management of the Lingaraj temple is governed under the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowment Act, 1951. As the Endowment Commission is looking after management of all temples of Odisha, it is unable to give special attention to the temple. Therefore, it is considered important to enact a special Lingaraj Temple Ordinance for this purpose.”
The Shri Lingaraj Temple Ordinance, 2020 aims to provide for vesting of the management of the affairs of temple and its properties including temples situated within its premises, other temples, sacred places and mutts in a Committee for better administration and governance, he said.
“The temple administration will be further empowered and strengthened by this new law to more effectively execute the elaborate rituals and Seva-Puja as well as administration or management of the affairs of the temple.”
With this new law, the management of the Lingaraj temple and its properties will be governed by a Committee. An IAS officer will be appointed as administrator to look after day to day affairs of the temple. The ordinance will also empower the Committee to safeguard the properties of the temple.
That apart, the government recently proposed to undertake several developmental works for all-round development of the shrine.
The Cabinet has also approved tenders for construction of a new medical college at Jajpur and a teaching hospital at Puri. The 100-seat and 500-bed medical college at Jajpur will be constructed with a total cost of Rs426.51 crore.
Similarly, the panel approved tender for construction of 650-bed teaching hospitals for new government medical college at Puri with a cost of Rs 224.55 crore. Both the works have been given to Larsen & Toubro Ltd and targeted to complete within three years.
PNN
