Expedite work on interpretation centre at Odisha’s Sun Temple: Pradhan

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury

Bhubaneswar, Aug 20:

Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan today directed the officials of Indian Oil Foundation  (IOF) trust created by Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC) to complete the proposed state-of-the-art Interpretation Centre at Sun Temple of Konark in Odisha by April, 2015.

Presiding over a review meeting on the progress of tourist facilities and peripheral development at Sun Temple Complex at Konark in New Delhi today, Pradhan directed officials to complete the project well before the Nabakalbara festival next July.

However, construction work of the interpretation centre, to be developed with facilities such as Audio-Visual Centre, descriptive galleries, souvenir shops and other facilities to explain the tourists the history and science behind the Sun Temple and the great cultural and historical tradition of Odisha, is yet to take place since the Odisha government has failed to free the earmarked land free of encroachment.

The IOF, which has been entrusted to develop the project, has sanctioned an amount of Rs.36 crore for the purpose.

The officials informed the minister that construction work is at a standstill due to encroachment of the land.  They approached the minister to take up the issue with the Odisha Government to facilitate the work.

The IOF was instructed to expedite the work on this front.  It was decided that work on the Interpretation Centre would commence in the month of September 2014.