Succumbing to Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati’s criticism of setting up beach shacks on Puri beach and nearby religious places, the Mohan Majhi government has decided to withdraw its proposal.

It will also not set up beach shacks within 5km of places of socio-religious-cultural significance in any other parts of Odisha.

The state excise department in a notification said: “It hereby notified that no license shall be granted to operate beach shacks in the jurisdiction of Puri Municipality and within 5km of any other place of socio-religious-cultural significance. The socio-religious cultural significance will be decided by the excise department occasionally.”

The state government took the initiative after excise commissioner Narasingha Bhol sent a detailed note opposing setting up beach shacks and urging the government to issue restrictions on them.

In his letter to the principal secretary, the excise department, Bhol said: “Allowing beach shacks at Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath, is not in the interest of preserving the socio-religious cultural significance of the land of Lord Jagannath. There are other places of religious significance within the state, in the vicinity of which beach shacks are likely to create an adverse impact on the socio-religious cultural atmosphere.”

In his letter, the excise commissioner further said: “Therefore, it is proposed to issue a clarification to the effect that beach shacks will not be allowed in in the jurisdiction of Puri Municipality and within 5km of such other places of socio-religious-cultural significance in any other parts of Odisha. Such other places may be decided by the government after due deliberations.”

The letter said, “Therefore, it is requested that the above proposal be placed before the government in the Excise department and that a notification be issued in this regard.”

On Wednesday, more than 50 organisations held a demonstration in front of the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri against the proposed establishment of beach shacks. The protesters said they wouldn’t allow the government to destroy Puri’s spiritual atmosphere, known as the land of Jagannath.

Even Govardhana Peetha Shankaracharya Swami Nishalananda Saraswati came down heavily on the issue and said, “Puri is a holy place. It’s known for its spirituality. Setting up beach shacks will be a disgrace to its spiritual sanctity. It will bring a bad name to Jagannath culture. We do bhajan, kirtan and evening aarti on the seashore. We need not to pollute this atmosphere.”