Bhubaneswar, July 17: Odisha Congress has demanded publication of a white paper on ‘Ratna Bhandar’ (treasury) of the Jagannath temple in Puri.
The party said the white paper should contain details of the records of valuables of the Ratna Bhandar, which were prepared in the past, and the inventory which will be prepared this year.
Former president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), Prasad Harichandan said his party has been demanding the reopening of the Lord’s Treasury for inventory and repair.
Now, the BJP government has initiated a step in this regard, he said.The Ratna Bhandar was reopened on Sunday after 46 years for preparing an inventory of valuables and the repair of its structure.
However, many questions are being raised on the keys of the ‘Ratna Bhandar’ because the locks of the inner chamber of the treasury did not open with the duplicate keys available with the Puri district administration, the Congress leader said.
The Congress leader asked about the original keys of the Ratna Bhandar.
He urged the state government to count the valuables stored inside the Ratna Bhandar while shifting those to the temporary strong room, to maintain transparency.
The Congress party has also demanded a judicial probe led by a retired judge of Orissa High Court or Supreme Court on the alleged mismanagement during the ongoing Rath Yatra in Puri.
According to official records, the last inventory of the Ratna Bhandar took place between May 13 and July 23, 1978.
Although it was said to have reopened on July 14, 1985, no updates were made to the inventory.
The 1978 inventory listed 12,831 bhari (11.66 grams each) of gold ornaments adorned with precious stones and 22,153 bhari of silver utensils and other items.
