Bhubaneswar, Dec. 19: Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb has expressed his displeasure over the Odisha government's failure to take steps for the development of the pilgrim town.

"Lord Jagannath has no voting rights, so he seems to not have a say in the matter," Deb said.

Addressing a religious gathering in Puri yesterday, the Gajapati said: "Many projects are being planned and announced for the city but nothing gets implemented at the ground level. Even funds being received under various schemes remain unspent."

The Gajapati said the Puri district collector had neither consulted him nor anyone else on the issue. "Projects are being chalked out in government offices without taking ground realities into account," said Gajapati, the scion of the local royal family.

He lamented the administration's lack of initiative in implementing developmental projects.

"The city has been selected from among the 10 heritage cities of the country for development as an icon city. There is a need for discussions and deliberations in this regard with various religious institutions and experts so that developmental projects are carried out well. A number of initiatives were announced and funds were approved for them but we are not seeing any implementation," he said.

He spoke to the local TV channel today on the issue. "Many things have been done for the Puri Shree Jagannath Temple but there are many things that still need to be done. There is a hope that what could not be done in the last 56 years can be done now." He also hinted that he would place his opinion before the Justice B.P. Das Commission of Inquiry, which is seeking suggestions for reforms at the Puri temple. Today, the commission received 10,344 affidavits.

Deb's criticism of the state administration found an echo in the statements of Congress and BJP leaders. Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik said: "The Puri king has raised the right issue. Many projects for Puri are yet to be completed."

BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan said: "The chief minister should immediately call Deb for a meeting and discuss these issues with him." Local BJD MLA from Puri, Maheshwar Mohanty, said the Gajapati should be consulted on these issues but it would have been better had he refrained from making such comments.