Puri temple set to introduce ticket 'darshan' system
Puri, Nov 27 : Devotees at Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri can now shell out some money to catch a closer glimpse of the deities, without having to push through the crowd.
A ticket system will be introduced for people, who wish to get a 'darshan' (view) of the Trinity after crossing the inner barricade, next to the doorstep of the sanctum sanctorum, a senior member of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said.
The free 'darshan' system, however, will remain unaffected, he clarified.
"The managing committee of the 12th century shrine, under the chairmanship of Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb, has decided to start the ticketing system for 'darshan', at least four times a day, from 'Bhitar Katha'," SJTA Chief Administrator P K Mohapatra told reporters on Monday.
A five-member committee will decide the price of the tickets, 60 per cent of which will be sold online, 35 per cent available at the counters and five per cent to be held by the administration, he said.
Earlier, the SJTA had introduced a queue system at the temple, for disciplined 'darshan'.
Talking about temple donations, the chief administrator said the gold received from the devotees will be deposited in banks under a central government scheme.
The temple will get an interest of 2.5 per cent under the scheme, he added.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
