Post News Network
Puri, April 3: The revenue divisional commissioner (RDC) of central division has initiated a probe into the construction of a proposed Jagannath temple by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in the city here.
RDC AB Ota held discussions with collector Aravind Agarwal, sub-collector Madhusudan Das, Brahmagiri tehsildar Niti Ranjan Sen, Puri-Konark Development Authority (PKDA) secretary Sanjeev Mishra and member Lingaraj Patnaik Saturday. Ota also examined several documents of the temple project, including the building plan that is said to have been approved by PKDA.
Sources said Ota will probe various aspects of the temple project. “The RDC will look into 12 aspects of the temple project, including the government agency that had approved the project, the date and year of approval, encroachment on government land and the proposal to name the temple as alternate Jagannath shrine,” said an official of the district administration.
Ota will submit a final report on the temple project to the state government in one-and-a-half months, according to sources.
Iskcon had sought the approval of PKDA to construct a temple on 30.99 acre land in Sipasarubali mauza under Brahmagiri tehsil October 16, 2012. PKDA had declined to give its nod to the building plan of the project on the plea that it was within 500 metre from the sea. Subsequently, the then sub-collector had provided a no objection certificate (NOC) to Iskcon to carry on temple construction on 18.65 acre land after the religious institution modified its building plan.
However, a statewide hue and cry was raised against the temple project amid reports that Iskcon had planned to construct an alternate Jagannath temple in the holy city.
Subsequently, the state government had ordered a RDC-level investigation into the project.
