Odisha: Leader Of Opposition Demands Audit Of Ratna Bhandar In Puri Jagannath Temple, Writes Letter To CM Patnaik

Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Legislative Assembly Pradipta Kumar Naik has requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to open the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri and conduct an audit of the ornaments.

In a letter to the Chief Minister on Tuesday (29 October), Naik expressed concern about the safety of Lord Jagannath's Ratna Bhandar and the failure of the administration to trace the keys of the inner chamber.

He urged that the treasure trove be opened and its audit conducted to match it with the inventory prepared in 1978.

"Though the Ratna Bhandar keys are missing came to notice in June, 2018, the state government has not taken any step till now about the safety of the highly valuable ornaments of Lord Jagannath, which is very unfortunate. Since the keys of the Ratna Bhandar are missing, the possibility of the jewellery kept there being stolen is high," Naik said in the letter.

He said opening the treasure trove and preparing a fresh inventory should be the top priority of the state government.

"If there will be any discrepancy between the inventory done and the inventory of 1978, necessary steps may be taken to unravel the mystery," said the Leader of the Opposition.

He said that the appointment of the judicial commission was useless as nothing significant happened even after the submission of the final report.

The state government had ordered a judicial probe on 7 June, 2018 following massive public outcry over the disappearance of the Ratna Bhandar keys.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)