Ex-CAG in new managing committee for Puri shrine

Bhubaneswar: Odisha govt on Tuesday reconstituted the managing committee of Puri Jagannath Temple, nominating 10 new members from various fields, including former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Girish Chandra Murmu.Murmu, a native of Mayurbhanj, brings significant administrative experience to the committee, having also served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.The 12th century shrine's 18-member managing committee, which is the primary decision-making body of Jagannath Temple, comprises 8 permanent or ex-officio members and 10 nominated members. The govt notifies the managing committee every three years. The previous committee's term ended on Sept 3, 2024.The permanent members of the committee include Puri king (chairman), chief secretary (working chairman), temple's chief administrator, Puri district collector and superintendent of police, state endowment commissioner, law secretary and the superintending archaeologist of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).Apart from Murmu, the other newly nominated members are Siddheswar Mohapatra (temple Mukti Mandap representative), Krushna Chandra Samantaray, Madhusudan Singhari, Jagannath Pujapanda, Ganesh Dasmohapatra and Ramanarayan Gochhikar (all servitors), Raghubir Das Maharaj (seer of Balaramkot Mutt), A K Sabat (chartered accountant) and Mahesh Kumar Sahoo (social activist)."Our priority will be to approve the proposed queue darshan system in the temple and streamline daily rituals. The committee will also oversee the inventory of valuables in Ratna Bhandar, along with addressing several other important matters related to the temple," said committee member and servitor Pujapanda. Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said several proposals were awaiting the managing committee's approval. "In its first meeting, the managing committee will approve the shifting of a hundi from Jagamohan to ensure the smooth implementation of the queue darshan system," Harichandan said.The proposed queue darshan system aims to enhance the darshan experience by introducing a six-lane ramp with wooden collapsible barricades at Natamandap, opposite the sanctum sanctorum. It will provide separate paths for men, women and senior citizens, with plans to accommodate differently-abled devotees as well.