The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has urged the Odisha government to declare its employees as Covid-19 warriors as they are exposed to risk while performing their duties inside the shrine and outside.
SJTAs Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar in a letter to Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, P K Mohapatra said the temple employees "deserve" the Covid-19 warrior status.
"I am to bring to your kind notice that the employees of SJTA, Puri are involved in discharging various duties during this Covid pandemic. This includes taking care of the Covid positive persons in the institutional isolation facility at Nilachal Bhakta Nivas and assisting the medical teams in vaccination of sevayats and employees," he said.
Besides, they are continuously exposed to members of public while assisting performance of nitis (rituals) inside and outside the temple and looking after the boarding, lodging and accommodation of Ratha Khala (chariot making yard) sevaks etc, Kumar said in the letter.
"In this context, I request that all such officials of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri may be declared as Covid warriors for extension of benefits as decided by the state government from time to time," he urged.
Kumar also mentioned the names of two personnel of Jagannath Temple Police (JTP) of SJTA Pruthimanyu Dash (58) and Pramod Kumar Dash (59) who succumbed to Covid-19 in April and requested the Additional Chief Secretary for financial assistance to their family members as per the same norms as being provided to other officials in similar circumstances.
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