In a major decision, the Chhattisa Nijog of Srimandir in Puri has decided to ban use of smartphones completely inside the temple premises, even by servitors and the temple staff.
As per the decision, only the authorised Commander can carry a smart phone with him to inform about the rituals.
Apart from that, in the Chhattisa Nijog meeting, the ritual schedule of Pahili Bhogo from Dhanu Sankranti till Makar Sankranti was also finalised.
Speaking to the reporters, SJTA Chief Vir Vikram Yadav said, “From January 1, nobody will be allowed to carry any smart phones inside the Srimandir premises. This includes servitors and SJTA officials too.”
It is pertinent to mention here that the ban on smart phones was earlier declared in 2017 too when Pradeep Jena was at the helm of SJTA.
In September 2017, it was decided in a meeting that servitors can only use feature phones inside the temple. Besides, special logos approved by the SJTA will be put on the mobile phones of the servitors. The SJTA will provide the logos to servitors.
However, what prompted the Chhattisa Nijog to announce the ban again in 2022, is yet to be answered by the SJTA.
(Reported By Pradeep Mohanty, OTV)