Puri: The deadline for submission of replies on show-cause notices served on 10 Srimandir servitors with regard to the Ghata Paribartan fiasco of 2015 ended Thursday.
It is learnt that nine servitors, including one Maharana (carpenter) servitor, have submitted their replies to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). However, one Daita servitor has sought more time from the temple administration to submit his reply.
The SJTA had served notices on the servitors November 14 in connection with the Ghata Paribartan issues and asked them to submit their replies within 15 days.
“The temple administration has received replies from nine servitors. It would take into account the statements of all these servitors before initiating any action on the Ghata Paribartan fiasco,” said a source in the SJTA.
According to sources, the temple administration is likely to take action on servitors who had gone to media soon after receiving the show-cause notices. Members of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee had expressed concern over the issue at a meeting November 26.
Soon after receiving the notice, Krushnachandra Maharana, the chief carpenter of Devi Subhadra’s chariot, had alleged several irregularities in the selection of Daru (holy logs) during the Nabakalebara festival of 2015. Similarly, Daita Niyog secretary Premanand Das Mahapatra had raised questions on the selection of Daru for idol construction.
Notably, Ghata Paribartan, the most secret ritual of Nabakalebara, was scheduled to be performed in the midnight of June 15, 2015. However, the ritual was performed during the day June 16.
The ritual delay had created a lot of hue and cry in the state. Then SJTA chief administrator Suresh Mahapatra had probed the fiasco.
