Kendrapara: The absence of basic facilities here at Tulashikhetra, the abode of Lord Jagannath’s elder brother Baladevjew and an important pilgrim centre near the Jagannath Temple, is forcing pilgrims to return in disappointment.
The Baladevjew Temple fails to attract tourists nowadays as they face lots of problems, particularly the absence of toilets.
Locals said as winter has started and as this is the holy month of Kartika many people visit temples. The Baladevjew Temple is a well-known pilgrim centre, and many people come there to have darshan of Lord Baladevjew.
There is a general belief that if somebody goes to Puri to have darshan of Lord Jagannath then he should visit the Baladevjew Temple at Tulashikethra too for completing the pilgrimage. But unfortunately tourists face problems there.
There was a public toilet (Sulabh Souchalaya) at Rathadanda near Baladevejw Temple. But due to lack of maintenance it has become unusable.
The toilet was built by the Kendrapara Municipality in 1995 on the right side of the Rathadanada in front of the Baladevjew Endowment Trust Board office.
But now the toilet is locked most of the time, and there is no water as the motor used for pumping has become dysfunctional. The tank generally fills up with tap water. If it is empty then tourists have to return disappointed, said a trader, who runs a shop near the Baladevjew Temple.
During rains, rainwater collects in front of the public toilet and enters the water tank. The toilets remain closed during rains. Locals and tourists generally use the dirty water from the tank, said Jayanti Gochhait, who works as a sweeper at a public toilet near the Baladevjew Temple.
It is difficult for women tourists to relieve themselves near the Baladevjew Temple as there are no toilets. Tourists feel uneasy while relieving themselves near nearby ponds or by the roadside, said Mamatamayee Samal, a tourist.
Local shopkeepers, Endowment Trust Board members and sebayats had raised the matter with the municipality, but their pleas were ignored, said Ranjan Kumar Prusty, a member of the Endowment Trust Board.
Although there is a children’s park near the temple it has not been opened for tourists and pilgrims. Most of the statues in the park have either been destroyed or stolen.
In 2008, the Urban Department had allotted Rs 40 lakh to the district administration under the Central Monument and Heritage Development Project for beautification of the temple, setting up a children’s park and providing boating facilities to tourists.
The municipality spent Rs 10 lakh from this for setting up a park near the temple. But work stopped midway as there was large scale misappropriation of funds.
Later, the new civic council, that was formed one and a half years back, took the initiative and completed work on the park.
Locals said that as the park does not have a watchman or a wall many illegal activities are going on in it at night. It has become a safe haven for anti-socials who consume alcohol and use narcotics. Romancing couples also frequent the park.
The Sub Collector-cum-Administrator of Kendrapara Municipality, Sanjay Kumar Mishra, said the municipality is taking steps to make the public toilet usable round the clock. Plans are also on anvil to repair all public toilets.
The municipality is engaging a watchman for the children’s park this tourist season, he said.
A proposal has also been sent to the government for constructing a boundary wall, electrification, and to provide a toilet in the children’s park, Mishra added.
PNN
