Govt to decide on Ratna Bhandar reopening: Amicus curiae

The government will take a final call regarding the reopening of ‘Ratna Bhandar’ of Srimandir, said amicus curiae NK Mohanty who on Saturday held a meeting at the SJTA office.

While replying to the queries from journalists regarding the reopening of Ratna Bhandar, Mohanty said, “According to the chief administrator, a meeting is scheduled to be held on September 27 and a decision regarding this will be taken there. The decision taken will then be forwarded to the government for approval.

"The future course of the action will depend on the government’s decision," said the amicus curiae after the meeting at the SJTA office, regarding the repair work of Natamandap and Jagamohan in Srimandir.

Regarding the repair work, he said, “We will soon start the Natamandap repair work and it will end by March next year.

When asked, expert committee member NC Pal said they had a detailed discussion on how to carry out repair work inside the Natamandap and outside of the Jagamohan of Srimandir.

“The meeting also featured resumption of stone replacement work at the courtyard of Srimandir kitchen which was started during Rath Yatra and left midway as it could not be completed in the given nine days,” Pal added.

He echoed the amicus curiae’s remarks on the reopening of ‘Ratna Bhandar’.

The meeting was also attended by Srimandir Development Administrator and ASI officials.

Notably, the Orissa High Court had on August 24 ordered amicus curiae to submit an affidavit explaining the current status of Srimandir Jagamohan and Konark Surya temple following an inquiry.