Cuttack: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration will implement, as directed by the state government, the recommendations made by the Justice B.P. Das Commission in an interim report.

It had stated before Orissa High Court that the law department on November 7, 2017 asked to "take necessary steps for execution of recommendation of the interim report of the Justice B.P. Das Commission submitted on April 20, 2017, at the earliest".

The commission was set up to bring in reforms into the functioning of the Puri Jagannath temple.

The April 20, 2017 interim report had recommended the redesigning of the watchtowers, which have been built adjoining the meghnad pacheri (outer wall) at four corners of the temple. The experts' panel observed that the watchtowers "are not design wise suitable for effective surveillance".

"With the widening of the roads, the movement area available to the guards on the watchtowers requires expansion, so that they can conveniently keep watch and surveillance over the crowd and the temple from all directions," the report observes.

"The guards should be provided with day binoculars and night-vision devices to discharge their duties properly," it suggested, adding that experts should look into the improvement of the existing towers and take a relook at the suitability of the location of the towers and the watchtowers should not remain unutilised.

All the subsidiary shrines on the temple premises shall be covered by CCTV cameras with night-vision system having interface with either control room or police station, the report recommended.

In his interim report, Justice B.P. Das further advised: "One-way entry system through the Singhadwar (lions' gate) for the devotees should be followed round the year, and the three other gates should be used as exit gates."

"The shoe stands near the police outpost and the feet washing point should be relocated at a place with safe distance from Meghnad pacheri. The area ranging from the place wherefrom the devotees have to go barefoot up to Singhadwar should be painted with heat-resistant white paint as would be chosen by technical experts," the panel proposed.

The administration adopted the panel's recommendation while throwing open the Jagmohan (prayer hall) for the public on Monday after the court endorsed the decision of state government to implement it on April 9.

The interim report said: " Darshan of the deities by the devotees, including the VIPs, shall be restricted only up to Bhittar Katha. None except sevaks having actual seva in the garvagruha on any particular day should be allowed into the sanctum sanctorum. Entry into the sanctum sanctorum during Paramanik darshan and Sahana Mela darshan should be stopped. Violators should be heavily fined."