The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has got a new Additional Administration and Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (OMFED) a new Managing Director as part of the reshuffle

As per a notification of the General Administration & Public Grievance department, Director of Export Promotion and Marketing (DEPM) BImalendu Ray has been allowed to remain in additional charge of OMFED MD.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Puri Pradip Kumar Sahu has been transferred and posted as Additional Administrator of SJTA.

Similarly, Sambalpur ADM Pradeep Kumar Sahoo has been posted as additional secretary in Agriculture and FE department, while Bargarh ADM Pabitra Behera has been posted as Balangir ADM.

Bhabani Prasad Mishra, joint secretary in Fisheries and ARD department, has been posted as Commissioner of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) on foreign service terms and conditions.

Similarly, Sambit Kumar Rout, additional commissioner in BeMC with additional charge of secretary BeDA, has been posted as settlement officer, Ganjam-Koraput major settlement, Berhampur.

Sarat Chandra Behera, joint secretary in Odisha sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) has been posted as Puri ADM, while Balangir ADM Mahendra Mohapatra has been Bargarh ADM.

Likewise, Ramesh Hanshda, additional commissioner in BeMC, has been posted as secretary, BeDA on foreign service terms and conditions, while Sambit Kumar Garnayak, Land Officer in IDCO, was posted Sambalpur ADM.

Hemasagar Bhoi additional sub-collector of Kuchinda in Sambalpur district, has been posted as sub-collector, Kuchinda, while Durjyodhan Bhoi, BDO of Papadahandi, has been posted as sub-divisional magnstrate in Kuchinda in Sambalpur district, the notification stated.

As per the revised schedule decided by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the darshan of sibling deities will be closed at 11 pm on Sunday. The ‘Pahada’ ritual of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will be performed at this time in the closed doors.

The doors of the 12th century shrine will reopen to facilitate darshan by the devotees at 1 am on New Year Day on Monday. Then the morning rituals of the deities will be performed in presence of the devotees.

From the New Year, the dress code and other restrictions will come into force inside the temple. As announced by the SJTA earlier, the visitors will have to wear decent outfits to enter the temple.

Male devotees should wear traditional attire, pants and shirts, while female devotees should come wearing sarees and salwar suits. Those coming in half pants, ripped jeans, and sleeveless shirts will not be allowed into the shrine.

Similarly, use of polythene bags to carry anything and chewing paan and tobacco have been banned from the day.

Meanwhile, the district administration has made elaborate arrangements to facilitate smooth darshan by the devotees and ensure their security on the New Year Day.

The SJTA held a meeting with members of Chhatisa Nijog of the temple to solve various issues posing problems for devotees during sale of Mahaprasad at Anand Bazaar.

It was decided that the Mahaprasad will not be allowed to be sold other than Ananda Bazaar so that the devotees would not be cheated. A complete price list of all items on sale will be put on display after it is decided at a later meeting.

It was decided that the entire area of Anand Bazaar in the 12th century shrine will be made plastic-free and the servitors will be encouraged to use the traditional containers to sell the Mahaparasad.

The meeting also approved the schedule for Pahili Bhog, Debabhishek Purnima, and Makar Sankranti. The servitors were requested to cooperate with the administration to complete the rituals as per the schedule.

Chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Ranjan Das said this while speaking to media persons in Puri on Friday. The darshan of the deities in the temple by the Divyangs was discussed at the meeting of Niti Sub-Committee on the day, he added.

He said a special ramp will be constructed under the heritage corridor project to enable the physically challenged devotees to enter the temple. The arrangement will be made at north gate of the temple and opened to the devotees after inauguration of the project on January 17, 2024.

“A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be made for the Divyangs keeping the tradition and practices of the temple in view. Further discussion will be held on taking them to the main temple in future,” he added.

Das further said the darshan of physically challenged devotees will be facilitated with cooperation of Chhatish Nijog and management committee of the temple. Besides, a separate resting accommodation will be made under the project near the north gate, he added.

The division bench of Justices BR Sarangi and MS Raman issued the interim stay on the basis of a petition filed by the chief administrator of SJTA challenging the NGT order passed on October 14, 2022. “As an interim measure, it is directed that the order dated 14 October 2022 passed by the National Green Tribunal, Eastern Zone, Kolkata shall remain stayed till 4 October 2023,” the bench said on Monday.

The court has also issued notice to the Khurda collector, member secretary of Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), member secretary of State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and Bidu Bhusan Harichandan, the petitioner, and posted the matter to October 4, 2023.

The NGT’s east zone bench had issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by Harichandan over alleged illegal stone mining in nearly 500 acres of the temple land under Nijigarh Tapang panchayat in Khurda district. He had alleged that these areas were basically cashew jungle, gramya jungle (village forest) and gochar land (common land). No environmental clearance or consent to operate was obtained from the respective authorities while mining activities were taken up after clearing trees, the petition added.

Besides directing SJTA to deposit Rs 12 crore, the bench had asked the Khurda collector to constitute a committee for the purpose of restoration and renovation of the excavated areas in 23 quarries as per plan, and complete the entire work within four months.

The committee, constituted by NGT with OSPCB as the nodal agency, had confirmed illegal quarrying. The fine amount was the cost of renovation, reclamation and restitution of the 23 quarries, identified by SJTA after discussion with OSPCB as sites where no mining operation will be undertaken.

According the committee report, only 27 of the 72 quarries in Puri Jagannath Temple land had obtained environmental clearance, consent to establish (CTE) and consent to operate (CTO). While 24 quarries do not have CTE, 37 have not obtained CTO, it added.

The temple administration, however, contended that Odisha Minor Minerals (Regulation & Development) Act, 1957 is not covered under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. Therefore, any order passed by the rights panel on the basis of the OMMC Rules is in violation of the Act itself.

The counsel appearing for the petitioner had said that as per provisions contained in Section 14 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, the tribunal shall have the jurisdiction over all civil cases where a substantial question relating to environment (including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment), is involved and such question arises out of the implementation of the enactments specified in Schedule-1. But, Schedule-1 does not cover Odisha Minor Minerals (Regulation & Development) Act, 1957.