Puri: Several spots on Srimandir premises are streaked with dried red spit generated by people, especially servitors and devotees, chewing paan (betel), gutkha and other mouth fresheners despite a ban on spitting on the temple premises.
Back in 2006, it was decided at the Chhatisha Nijog’s meeting to impose Rs 100 penalty on persons found spitting on the premises of the 12th century shrine. “Initially, violators were penalised. The system, however, went into slumber a few months after its introduction. Subsequently, nooks and corners of the shrine were filled with spit and wrappers of gutkha as well as other mouth fresheners,” a senior servitor of Srimandir said.
Taking note, then the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Pradeep Jena, called for a special meeting on August 21, 2017 and decided to take stringent action against the violators. “Accordingly, a special squad, comprising 12 persons, kept tabs on the violators in two phases. While one team kept vigil from 6am to 2pm, another team kept surveillance besides penalising the violators between 2pm and 10pm. It helped in ensuring cleanliness and hygiene on the temple premises for a long time. This system, however, also went into slumber after a short-run,” the servitor said pointing at the dried red spit and gutkha wrappers on temple premises, especially at the Anand Bazar.
The temple administration should devise stringent policy and impose heavy penalty on the violators in order to curb the unethical practice, Sanjiv Mandal, a devotee from West Bengal’s Hooghly, said. “People visiting any religious place should keep in mind that it’s his/her responsibility to maintain hygiene at the religious place,” Mandal added.
Another devotee, Subash Parida of Ganjam, is of the view that visitors and servitors should ensure that they should shun chewing betel, gutkha and other mouth fresheners before entering the Srimandir.
When asked, Srimandir public relations officer (PRO) Laxmidhar Pujapanda said that it require a collective effort from the servitors, visitors, temple administration and police officials to maintain hygiene and cleanliness on the temple premises as it would help ensure godliness as well.