Odisha CM seeks withdrawal of draft bylaws for two temples

Bhubaneswar, Feb 12: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday urged the Centre to withdraw the National Monuments Authority's (NMA) draft heritage bylaws for two temples in the state.Patnaik said the central government should immediately withdraw the NMA's draft bylaws on Ananta Basudev and Brahmeswar temples of Ekamra Kshetra in Bhubaneswar.The Chief Minister said it would have been appropriate for the Central agencies to take the state into confidence on sensitive religious issues."Central government should immediately withdraw the National Monuments Authority Draft Bylaws on Ananta Basudev & Brahmeswar Temple of #EkamraKshetra. It would have been appropriate for the Central agencies to take the State into confidence on sensitive religious issues," tweeted Patnaik.He appealed to all the parliamentarians from Odisha to raise the sensitive matter with Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel as the rituals of Lord Lingaraj may be affected due to the heritage bylaws."I appeal to all the MPs from #Odisha to take up this sensitive matter with the Union Government & @prahladspatel, as it involves the sentiments of lakhs of devotees of #Odisha, lives and livelihood of sebayats, linked to the smooth conduct of Nitis of Lord Lingaraj," he further tweeted.Notably, the draft bylaws prohibit construction works around the temples while the state government has taken up several initiatives for the beautification of Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar.Meanwhile, by lighting up hundreds of diyas, the servitors of the Lingaraj temple on Friday protested against the proposed draft notification.Earlier, the Commissioner of the Endowment, Odisha and Khurda district collector, who is also the president of Lord Lingaraj Temple Trust Board, urged the NMA to withdraw the notification immediately.The Centre had withdrawn the notification of the draft bylaws for Jagannath Temple in Puri following widespread protest from various quarters. (IANS)