OdishaPlus Bureau
The Odisha Government has decided to beautify the surrounding areas of Konark Temple to present the tourists a hassle free visit and improve its ecosystem to match a global heritage zone.5T Secretary to Chief Minister, V Karthikeyan Pandian visited the Sun Temple on Thursday along with a team of officials, engineers and architects to take a wider view of things.
Secretary Works Krishan Kumar, District Collector Puri Balwant Singh and other senior officials accompanied him during the visit. Pandian is taking interest in beautifying the ancient temples, architectures and improvement of the ecosystem of the Golden Triangle-Bhubaneswar-Konark-
Plans are being chalked out to engage the tourists in the Golden Triangle for at least 3-4 days, said sources in knowledge of the development.A massive development plan is being executed for Puri and senior mandarins are making field visits there.During his visits, Pandian harped on making Konark a more attractive tourist spot and present the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Shree Lingaraj Temple in the State capital and the Sun Temple in a unique form.
As the Sun Temple is a UNESCO world heritage site, consultation will be held with Archeological Survey of India (ASI). The State Government will request DG ASI to visit Odisha to take up detailed discussion in this regard.Apart from the necessity of improvement both inside and outside the shrine, several other issues will be discussed with DG ASI soon.
Senior ASI officials are in constant touch with the State Government in this regard, said an ASI official.He said DG ASI will visit Bhubaneswar soon to discuss a road map for development of State’s one of the most prominent tourist spots.
Even as Indian Oil Corporation is taking up several infrastructure development work, the State Government will take up more work required for the facelift of this historical monument, said sources.
New alignment of roads will be laid to avoid vehicle movement in front of the Sun Temple and allow the tourists to walk to the monument smoothly.
The Konark beach is known as one of the best on the east coast where visitors take leisurely walks to enjoy the sunrise and sunset. The State Government will soon chalk out a detailed plan for comprehensive development of Konark and its surroundings, the sources said.