Puri, Nov 14: Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has decided to ban paan and gutka consumption on the shrine premises from January 1, 2024. The ban order is applied on servitors, devotees, police officials and temple employees.
“Though there is a provision of penalty for consumption of pan and gutkha on the temple premises, no one was obeying the rule. Our objective is to improve the sanitation of the temple. The violators will be fined up to 500. SJTA has taken the decision again after empty gutka packets and paan spits were noticed on the temple premises”, Said Ranjan Das, Chief Administrator, SJTA, Puri.
Worth mentioning, SJTA has also put a ban on use of polythene bags inside the temple.