Puri, popularly known as Jagannath Dham, is one of the four most revered sacred places for the Hindus across the world. Every year millions of devotees come to this place to have darshan of Lord Jagannath and offer prayers to the Trinity. The Jagannath Temple is the abode of the holy Trinity and has a history of more than a thousand years. Ratha Yatra, the annual sojourn of the deities, is the most important event in the Jagannath Calendar when lakhs of people gather to pull the three chariots. The city has been welcoming pilgrims from across the world for centuries. It has also been the center of religious learning for the Hindus. One of the four cardinal institutions established by Adi Shankaracharya, the Govardhan Matha is also situated in Puri.
The spiritual city of Puri has seen its ups and downs in history. It has catered to the people coming from all over the world. This heritage city has welcomed all and the motto has always been Atithi Devo Bhavo. From a small village of servitors and learned people a few centuries back, Puri today has grown to an important pilgrimage destination of the world. Under the reigns of many kings and administrators, the city of Puri and the Jagannath Temple have gone through many makeovers as and when needed. But in the last few centuries, though the footfalls and engagements in Puri grew exponentially, there were no efforts made to develop the city. Particularly, in the last five decades, Puri grew into an important religious destination but lacked the simultaneous attention of the authorities it needed.
Keeping in tune with the changed circumstances, Puri required a much desirable transformation. It needed to keep itself abreast with the changed world. The infrastructure and amenities for the growing number of devotees and pilgrims needed to be overhauled. The city needed a makeover for the future generations. The Government of Odisha led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sensed this need and stepped in with a robust and a lasting solution to transform the holy city. And with this came the Puri Heritage Corridor Project, Augmentation of Basic Amenities & Development of Heritage and Architecture at Puri (ABADHA) Scheme and many more initiatives to transform the city into a world class pilgrimage center.
Today, Puri is undergoing a transformation that was never seen before. A sustainable development plan is being implemented in Puri to make it the best holistic place in the country. An ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wanted to transform Puri into a World Heritage City, and for this he has entrusted the responsibility to another ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath VK Pandian. While the Chief Minister oversees the development Puri, the man behind the implementation of this colossal task is VK Pandian.
The transformational journey of Puri under the 5T Initiatives began in 2019 when the Government of Odisha came up with the Heritage Corridor Project. The foundation stone for the much significant project was laid in 2021 and the work started on a war footing. The Government of Odisha intends to spend more than Rs 3000 crore on this ambitious project over a period of time.
5T Secretary VK Pandian has been overseeing the transformation of the holy city from the time of conception to planning and implementation. His rigorous review of each and every piece of work is leading to the development of the city into a truly world class destination.
The intention is to make available the entire modern infrastructure and facilities for the people coming to Puri and create sustainable growth. Pandian has taken unto himself to see that the dream of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is taking shape as intended. From the day one of the conception stage discussions to planning and implementation, the 5T Secretary is continuously overseeing the works.
Ever since the work commenced, VK Pandian has been visiting Puri on a weekly basis continuously to see himself the progress of the works. He has been interacting with the project implementing officials regarding the progress, issues faced, problems, etc. He has also been talking to the servitors regarding their opinion and advice on the project. During his numerous visits, his thrust has been on completion of the various projects on time but without compromising the quality of work.
Today, the Parikrama Prakalpa work, infra development, multi-lane road, bridges, multi-level parking facility, pilgrim amenities, revival of Musa river, rehabilitation of the affected people in security zone, renovation of Mathas and the water bodies are going on at an accelerated speed.
The Srimandir Parikrama project entails the development of the peripheral areas around the Jagannath Temple that will be transformed into a heritage corridor. The Srimandir Parikrama project has in total 22 projects that will be executed in three phases. It will have a 7-metre green buffer zone adjacent to the Meghanad wall, 10-metre-long Antar Parikrama for ceremonial procession of the deities, an 8-metre-long outer Pradikshyan for devotees and a 10-metre public conveyance zone having restrooms, drinking water fountain, information-cum-donation kiosks and shelter pavilions.
It will also have a 5-metre service lane for the maintenance of the corridor, a 4.5-metre dedicated shuttle-cum-emergency lane, a 7.5-metre mixed traffic lane to aid the movement of vehicles around the corridor and a seven-metre wide shaded footpath with trees. A reception centre with a capacity to house 6,000 devotees and a cloakroom facility for 4,000 families is also under progress.
The first major work as a part of this project that has been completed is the redevelopment of the Swarga Dwara. In a record time, the Government redeveloped the Swarga Dwara and dedicated for the people in April 2021.
Puri became the first city in the country to have Drink from Tap water facility in 2021. The city now has safe drinking water that can be used directly from the tap for cooking and drinking. Taps in Puri are giving 24-hour quality drinking water.
A major infrastructure work that will decongest the main road in Puri has been completed. The new link road connecting Puri bypass from Malatipatpur to Jagannath Ballav Matha has been built at a cost of Rs 190 crore. This 1.5 kilometer iconic link road will be connected by the Shree Setu Project – Odisha’s first trumpet bridge.
The Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Center is being redeveloped as a modern pilgrim centre with multi-level car parking, pilgrim amenities, commercial and meditation space, and multi-modal hub at a cost of Rs 180 crore. 5T Secretary VK Pandian had reviewed the project recently and instructed for timely completion of work.
If everything goes well Puri will have Odisha’s second International Airport by the end of 2024. The Shree Jagannath International Airport is likely to be operational by 2024 and the process has well begun. The process of acquiring 1,500 acres of land in Sipsarubali mouza has already started.
The Shree Jagannath Sports Complex being developed in Puri will be a world class sporting facility for sportspersons. The Project is a part of the Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture Scheme. The new sports complex will have the cricket stadium with practice nets and other facilities, 50-m swimming pool, Multi-Purpose Indoor Hall with facilities for Boxing, Wrestling, Table Tennis and Gymnasium) and a 100-seated sports hostel. The holy Musa river is being revived and connected to Mangala river and the Atharnala is being developed as an iconic pedestrian heritage bridge.
The sheer dedication of 5T Secretary towards the works being undertaken in Puri is because he is an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath. Everything that is going on in Puri is by the will of the Lord. Without his will, nothing can happen in the heritage city.
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