Bhubaneswar, May 10 : BJP National spokesperson and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Saranghi on Tuesday came down heavily on the Odisha government for undertaking construction work of Sri Jagannath Parikrama project without the permission and approval of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Saranaghi reactions came in the wake of an affidavit filed by the ASI before the Odisha High court on My 8 stating that no valid permission has been obtained by the Odisha government before doing massive digging and construction work jagannath Parikrama project around the 12th century shrine Sri Jagannath temple . Taking to the tweeter, the BJP MP said “The joint inspection note filed by ASI , as part of its affidavit,in the Hon’ble High Court,is worth reading.Very meticulously prepared. It says all the wrongdoings of the State Govt are crystal clear”. She further said “after filing of ASI’s affidavit before the High Court ,I am convinced that Lord Jagannath is trying to save himself and his temple from an elected State Government which is hell bent upon brazenly defying the law.” “So much of public money is being spent on forcibly creating infrastructure which could easily be created beyond 100 metres of the Sri Jagannath temple,” Saranghi remarked. She further said, “If the structures are declared illegal tomorrow, who will be responsible for wastage of hundreds of crores of rupees which is the hard earned money of Odias? The BJP leader said the ASI report clearly stated that there has been irreparable damage to the heritage underneath and no heritage impact assessment has been done or no ground penetrating radar survey has been carried out before undertaking the massive construction work within the prohibited area. The ASI in its affidavit filed before the High court on May 8 stated that a joint inspection was carried out on 1st May, 2022 and an onsite discussion was held with the Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation (OBCC) and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration. The affidavit clarified that “no valid permission has been given for the Shree Mandira Parikrama Project.” The conclusion in the joint inspection report of May 2 further stated that “there is every possibility that the agency (OBCC) during the excavation/soil removal might have destroyed the archaeological remains of the heritage site. The affidavit said the work of toilets, drains, electrical works “do not fall within the definition of ‘construction’ and therefore can be carried out even in the prohibited area”, some other works “such as reception center fall squarely within the definition of construction and being in the prohibited area, is not permitted”. The ASI also pointed out that even for works in the regulated area which fall within the definition of ‘construction’, appropriate permissions as prescribed under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act) would be required and that for such works “no prior permission has been obtained from the National Monuments Authority (NMA)”. State Advocate General A K Parija has however submitted before the High court that a ‘no objection’ was in fact granted by the NMA on September 4,2021, Parija further clarifies that the reception center is now being moved out of the prohibited area and is being constructed in the “regulated area”. He has further stated that the State Government will work in cooperation with the ASI on all works undertaken at the Parikrama site. The State Government, Parija had stated, will keep in view the observations of the ASI when it undertakes any further works at the Parikrama site. A division bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice R K Pattnaik while hearing a PIL on the Jagannath Parikrama Project on May 8 observed that the affidavit of the State Government in response to the affidavit of the ASI be filed on or before June 20, 2022 and fixed the next date of hearing on the matter to June 22 next.
