Emar mutt: To demolish or not to demolish

 “The mutt is in a ruined state. Hence, we would appeal the High Court seeking permission to demolish it as it is not safe for the public to venture into the mutt premises,” RDC (Central Range) Pradip Mohapatra said.
 
The decision of the RDC came in response to the HC directions to inspect the present condition of the mutt whether it could be renovated or preserved or be demolished.
 
Meanwhile, RDC’s decision to demolish the mutt has drawn flak from various quarters.
 
Expressing anguish over the decision, member of the Emar Mutt managing committee Mahanta Sukhram Dash has termed the reports of the engineers as false and has insisted on preserving the ancient mutt instead of demolishing it.
 
“The report given by the engineers over the condition of the mutt is false. The mutt is country’s heritage. It’s difficult to have one like it. So instead of demolishing it, we should preserve the mutt,” Managing Committee member Dash said.
 
“It’s easy to demolish the mutt, but difficult to build a new one. Hence, we should preserve it instead of demolishing it,” Cultural Expert Dr. Naresh Chandra Dash said.