The Odisha government has decided to do landscaping around the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple using plant varieties that are in tune with the heritage of the shrine.

The plants mentioned in the various scriptures connected with the Shree Jagannath culture would be planted around the shrine.

According to the plan, a 14-metre landscape zone with a garden of plants and shrubs important in the Jagannath culture will come up. These are a part of the work of the Shree Jagannath Parikrama Prakalpa (Heritage Corridor Project), a beautification programme around the 75-metre radius of the shrine. The project, with a budget of Rs 800 crore, had started in November 2021. The Tata Group has been tasked with the job of completing the project.

Private secretary to the chief minister and secretary of the 5T (teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation and time limit) initiative V.K. Pandian visited the Shree Jagannath Temple early on Friday morning and reviewed the project. The state government has asked the Tatas to engage more manpower at night to complete the work in a time-bound manner.

During the review meeting, it was decided that adequate arrangements for parking of two-wheelers would be made for commuters and servitors. Special attention will be given to keep the outer access road free from encroachments.

Officials review the Heritage Corridor project in Puri. The Telegraph

It was decided to expedite the re-development of mathas (mutts) taking the opinions of various stakeholders and keeping in mind the history and heritage of these mathas. The demolition of the mathas for beautification around the 12th-century shrine had met with strong resentment. During that time, the state government had assured the re-development of mutts would be undertaken keeping in mind the sentiments of the people.

“Prime importance would be given to ensure the best experience to thousands of devotees who visit the temple every day along with quality and timely completion of the work. The progress of work at Jagannath Ballav Parking Centre and Shree Setu (the first ever trumpet bridge connecting the outskirts of Puri directly to the place near the temple) were also reviewed along with parking facilities and provision of basic amenities for the devotees,” officials said.

The agency constructing the Shree Setu work and Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre was instructed to complete the project in time so that the devotees coming to Puri will have a better experience in the new year.