Bhubaneswar: The Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, Wednesday felicitated members of 11 families those who sacrificed their land for the beautification of Puri Jaganath temple.
Patnaik honoured the family members of Sanjukta Samal, Chandrakanti Das, Kumudini Guru, Ramadevi Sharma, Purnachandra Mohanty, Brajakishore Panda, Gadadhar Padhi, Kalijug Gopalchandra Pratihari, Rajakishore Sahoo and Sashibhusan Das.
The chief minister told the family members that their sacrifice would be remembered by the people of Odisha.
“I am very happy that you voluntarily handed over your ancestral homestead land for the safety and security of the Shreemandir on my request have honoured my request. The State will remain indebted to you for this gesture,” he said.
Stating that Shreemandir is invaluable property of the Odias, he said,
“Lord Jagannath is the identity of the Odias. Our lives will be contented if we can do something to protect the Shreemandir.”. The sacrifices of these 11 families will be etched in the memory of the people in the State, he added.
The chief minister urged the people to follow the steps of these families and donate land for development of the Heritage Zone to create a new history.
Patnaik had called upon the people living around the Puri temple to voluntarily hand over their land for the beautification of the temple surroundings under Srikshetra Heitage Zone project.
