Paradip, April 18: The Jagatsinghpur district administration has stopped sale of non-vegetarian food at restaurants and roadside eateries in and around Kanakpur where the neem tree meant to make Lord Balabhadra's new idol was found.

The authorities have taken this step to maintain the sanctity at the site of the holy tree.

"We requested the eatery owners not to cook non-vegetarian food items. They promptly responded to the appeal. Residents of Kanakpur and adjoining villages have spontaneously given up non-vegetarian food till the rituals of daru (sacred wood) transportation are complete. This speaks of the spiritual devotion and affinity that people have developed towards the Jagannath cult," said Jagatsinghpur collector Satya Kumar Mallik.

"Lord has stayed with us over the years in form of the neem tree. God has bestowed a rare privilege upon us. The identification of daru is a matter of immense pride for us," said local resident Nityanand Acharya.

"All the residents of Kanakpur have taken to vegetarian food since yesterday. This will continue till the timber is transported to the Puri temple," said Acharya.

"The government doesn't need to request us to skip non-vegetarian food. We have utmost reverence towards Lord Jagannath and His elder brother Lord Balabhadra. We know it will be sacrilegious to consume fish, meat or eggs when the rituals take place," said Subal Behera, who lives near the Sarala temple.

Eateries stopped making non-vegetarian meals when the identification of daru was announced yesterday. "We have stopped selling non-vegetarian food on our own," said Subhash Rout, a roadside eatery owner.