Ganjam: The demand for naming the Baba Balilokanath temple as a tourist spot has gathered fresh momentum. The renowned temple is located in a forest on the banks of the Rushikulya River at Malijagannnathpur village under Kainchapur panchayat in Ganjam district.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had once termed the temple’s park as the best in the district in a tweet. Referring to it, the temple’s management committee has asked why the government is yet to give ‘tourist spot’ status to this shaivite shrine.
At a press meet here recently, the committee informed that in 2015, the temple’s chief manager B Banamali took the initiative to develop the shrine. For this, he brought the villagers together and incurred the initial expenses from his own pocket. In an effort to beautify the temple and attract visitors, he got built a park near the temple, planting flower and medicinal plants.
Later, an outdoor gym for youths, a toilet and a rest house for visitors coming from distant places were constructed. Two gardeners have been appointed to maintain the park. Their salaries are also being paid by Banamali. A Kalyan Mandap, a public kitchen, a store room and a puja mandap have also been built with contributions from locals and those who visit the temple. A reputed cloth company has constructed the ‘prasadalaya’.
The committee also informed that the district administration only provided some money under MGNREGS for the development of the park. But it is least bothered about its maintenance.
“In 2019, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was all praise for the park, terming it as the best in the district. He thanked the local sarpanch for making such a beautiful park, the committee said quoting the Odisha CM.
Sarpanch G Santosh Reddy informed journalists that the district administration spent Rs 30 lakh for the development of the park. Discussions are also on with officials of the Culture department so that the ‘tourist spot’ status can be granted soon. Lack of apathy on the part of the officials have prevented the shrine from getting the ‘tourist spot’ status.
PNN