Puri temple budget for 2014-15 pegged at Rs 212.25 cr

OST Bureau
Puri, Jan 28:

The annual budget of the Shri Jagannath temple in Puri for the 2014-15 fiscal has been pegged at Rs 212.25 crore. This was revealed at a meeting of the temple managing committee here on Tuesday.

Of the estimated budget, Rs 57.70 crore has been earmarked for temple work, Rs 6.92 crore for temple rituals, Rs 22.15 crore for Nabakalebara rituals, Rs 2.80 crore for administrative expenses and Rs 6.89 crore for the welfare of the sevayats (servitors).

The meeting also approved the proposal of the Medica Synergy Group for a super speciality hospital at Puri for the sevayats for which the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) would provide 10 acres of land to the company. The hospital would be built at a cost of Rs 110 crore.

Chairman of the Medica Synergy Group Dr Alok Ray thanked the Gajapati king and the SJTA chief administrator for providing the opportunity to build the hospital in Puri.

The meeting, presided over by the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri Divyasingh Dev, also discussed the ensuing Nabakalebara festival with the sevayats and decided to hold a training camp for them for smooth management during the festival.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, chief administrator of SJTA Arabinda Padhee said the meeting also discussed the welfare of the sevayats and their health insurance.

“We have taken up the project work for infrastructure development of Deuli Math, Mangala temple at Kakatpur, Alarnath temple at Brahmagiri, Jagannath Ballav Math and Koili Baikuntha this year on priority basis,” Padheee said.