Months after undertaking construction around the 12th century Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri, as part of the ₹800-crore Shree Mandir Parikrama Project (SMPP), the Odisha government started the Ground Penetrating Radar Survey (GPRS) to trace any archaeological treasure beneath the soil on Saturday night.
The Odisha Bridge Construction Corporation (OBCC), the State government’s designated agency that implements SMPP had roped in the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar, which deployed GeoCarte Radar Technology Private Limited for the GPRS, according to official sources. As per guidelines, the GPRS should have been done prior to commencing of construction.
The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) had informed the Orissa High Court, which is hearing a public interest litigation petition pertaining to the controversial construction around Jagannath Temple, that, “No GPRS has been conducted to ascertain the archaeological and historical importance lying buried in the subsoil of 75m radius (construction zone) of the centrally protected monument.”
