Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on Wednesday raised objections to the ongoing Puri Shree Mandir Heritage Corridor Project that aims to beautify and develop the vicinity of the 12th-century shrine.

He asked the Odisha government to refrain from making the holy town a picnic spot in the name of beautification.

“It should not be turned into a bhogbhumi (a place of amusement and pleasure) from a tapobhumi (a place of meditation),” the seer said.

Saraswati made this statement after he met senior officials of the state government, scion of the royal family of Puri Gajapati Dibya Singha Deb, social activists and representatives of different political parties and deliberated with them about the implementation of the project.

The seer said he supported development but was against the elimination of existing pilgrim sites. He also pointed out that the heritage site should not lose its identity and be destroyed in the name of development.

“It is the responsibility of the administration not to allow a place of the pilgrimage to be converted into a centre of amusement and pleasure.”

He said he was pained to see the administration razing the mutts in the name of widening roads.

“The idols of the deities of the mutts were also evicted. It will invite the ire of deities,” he said.

Saraswati cautioned that the government should not think itself to be all-powerful because of the massive mandate it had got over the years. “The public opinion may change any time,” the seer warned.

He urged both the Prime Minister and chief minister to intervene and see how the corridor project was being distorted in the name of development.

Following Saraswati’s outburst, the BJP and Congress opposed the project and said they would abide by the advice of the seer.

In a related development, BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty said: “Srimandir Parikrama Project (Heritage Corridor project) was prepared and recommended by the Srimandir managing committee to the state government. The plan was kept in the public domain for the opinion of people and various organisations.”

Mohanty said: “The plan was also passed unanimously by all MLAs without any opposition in the Odisha Assembly. After the plan was approved, it was sent to the National Monument Authority, which approved the proposal.

“After NMA’s approval, the foundation stone was laid for the Srimandir Parikrama Project. For this ceremony, leaders of all political parties as well as various other dignitaries were invited. After this, the work was started.”

He said the ASI gave certain suggestions, which were duly incorporated and modifications were done accordingly.

The BJD urged people to support the project so that the work could be finished before the onset of the monsoon.

However social activists as well as Opposition parties alleged that the work going on under the project was illegal as it violated the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 that prohibited new construction within 100 metres of a nationally-protected monument.