On October 28, 2023, the Chairman of 5T and Nabin Odisha scheme V K Pandian asked the authorities to complete the Sri Mandir Heritage Corridor project in Puri before December 15. Upon completion, devotees will get an unobstructed view of the temple from a distance. The corridor will also provide amenities for devotees and strengthen security around the temple complex.
The Sri Mandir Corridor Project
It is also called as Puri Sri Mandir Parikrama Project, the development work is the most important and major development in Puri in the last few centuries. The estimated cost of its first phase is around Rs 800 crore. The project will transform Puri into a major world-class tourist and religious centre which is already globally known for its blue beaches and Lord Jagannath Temple and the glorious ‘Rath-Yatra’.
The Heritage Corridor Project entails the development of the following facilities: namely: a 75 meters corridor around the Jagannath Temple with amenities and infrastructure along with Modern Shree Jagannath Temple Administration building.
Apart from the above, it will include a 600-capacity Srimandir reception centre and a unique Shree Jagannath cultural centre that would include the Raghunandan library, integrated command and control centre coupled with Badadanda heritage landscape and other improvements in Srimandir amenities
About VK Pandiyan
VK Pandian is a 2000-batch Odisha cadre IAS officer. He started his career as a civil servant as a sub-collector in Dharmagarh, located in Kalahandi district. Pandian subsequently served as a collector in the Mayurbhanj and Ganjam districts before transitioning to his role in the Chief Minister’s office.
Pandian has played a key part in the Sri Jagannath Heritage Corridor. The Sri Mandir Parikrama project will create an unobstructed 75-metre corridor around the outer wall of the Jagannath Temple.
VK Pandian, who took voluntary retirement from the IAS on October 23, was appointed as the chairman of the 5T initiative and Nabin Odisha scheme with the status of a Cabinet minister on October 24. In the last 10 years since joining, Pandian has played a key role in many crucial decisions of the Patnaik government.
The 5T chairman visited and reviewed the corridor project on Saturday from 4 am to 6 am. Puri District Collector Samarth Verma and some other officers attended the review meeting. The 5T program is a governance model that emphasizes teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation, and time limits.
Prior to seeking voluntary retirement VK Pandian served as 5T Secretary to the State Government. Along with Srimandir, Pandian has also supervised the Odisha government initiative of renovation and restoration of ancient and revered temples throughout the state.
In September, Pandian completed his tour of all 147 assembly constituencies in the state bringing an end to his six-month-long visit to all the districts in the state.
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