Iskcon project director gives undertaking of 'no work' in High Court

CUTTACK: The project director of the proposed Jagannath Temple of International Society for Krishna Consciousness ( Iskcon) today gave an undertaking to the Orissa High Court that since the plan of the project is in an approval stage, no construction work is now being undertaken at the site.

The project director gave the undertaking in the form of an affidavit before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Vineet Saran.

The bench questioned the locus standi of the project director and asked the petitioner of the writ appeal to implead the authorities of the Iskcon in the matter.

Posting the matter to be heard again next month, the High Court has asked all the respondents in the writ appeal to file their counters within four weeks.

The Iskcon had approached the HC seeking quashing of an order of the Puri-Konark Development Authority restraining it from going ahead with the work of the proposed temple.

A single-judge bench of Justice Kumari Sanju Panda had on February 24 rejected the appeal of Iskcon and asked it to present its case before the PKDA as per the latter's notice.

The Iskcon then approached the High Court again in a writ appeal seeking a larger bench adjudication to quash the single-judge bench order.

The Iskcon is planning to construct the temple on an area of over 18 acres at Baliapanda locality of Puri at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore.

The PKDA had in January issued a 'stop work' order to the Iskcon in the wake of public resentment over the proposed temple which is being referred to as the second Jagannath temple in the holy town of Puri.