Key Points

The state government on Tuesday announced the list of nominations more than one year after the expiry of the tenure of the previous managing committee members. The state government issued a notification under the provisions of the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1954 (Odisha Act 11 of 1955). The new nominations include retired IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre and former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu, and noted Chartered Accountant A.K. Sabat.

The government has also nominated Siddheswar Mohapatra (representing Mukti Mandap), Krushna Chandra ‘Tuku’ Samantray, Madhusudan Singhari, Jagannath Pujapanda, Ganesh Dasmohapatra, Ramnarayan Gochhikar, and Raghubir Das Maharaj of Balaramkot Matha (representing Mathas and religious institutions). Mahesh Kumar Sahoo of the Bantala area of Angul district has also been included in the list of nominations to the 12th-century shrine’s managing committee.

Speaking to media persons, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that following the approval of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the nominations were announced. He also stated that the formation of the managing committee will help ensure the expedited and smooth implementation of various pending reform initiatives, such as the queue system (Dhadi Darshan), inventory of valuables in the Ratna Bhandar (the treasure trove of the Puri Jagannath Temple), modernization of darshan arrangements at the temple, security-related measures, and more. He also assured the media persons that the inventory of Ratna Bhandar valuables will begin soon.

Notably, both devotees and servitors of the 12th-century shrine had been demanding the formation of the managing committee for the smooth management of temple affairs. The state government faced criticism from some experts, who held the delay in forming the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee responsible for the chaos and disruptions during this year’s Ratha Yatra.

- IANS