Puri: Declare SJTA employees as COVID warriors, Krishan Kumar urges Odisha govt

Puri: Krishan Kumar, Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), has written to the Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department urging the latter for declaring the employees of SJTA as COVID warriors.

“I am to bring to your kind notice that the employees of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri are involved in discharging various duties during this COVID pandemic. This includes taking care of the COVID positive persons in the Institutional Isolation Facility (lIF) at Nilachal Bhakta Nivas and assisting the medical teams in vaccination of sevayats and employees. Besides, they are continuously exposed to members of public while assisting performance of nitis inside and outside the Temple and looking after the boarding, lodging and accommodation of Ratha Khala sevaks etc.,” Kumar said in the letter.

“In this context, I request that all such officials of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri may be declared as COVID warriors for extension of benefits as decided by the State Government from time to time,” he urged.

Kumar also mentioned the names of two personnel of Jagannath Temple Police (JTP) of SJTA– Pruthimanyu Dash (58) and Pramod Kumar Dash (59)– who succumbed to COVID-19 in April and requested the Additional Chief Secretary for financial assistance to their family members as per norms.