Cuttack, April 13: Orissa High Court-appointed commission of inquiry has said that installation work of stainless steel portal frame to support the cracked stone beams inside the Puri Jagannath temple's prayer hall or Jagmohan is on track.

The court had appointed an accredited engineer - Nagendra Kumar Mohanty as commissioner of inquiry to make on-the-spot assessment of the progress.Cuttack resident Abhisek Das filed the PIL.

"About 45 tonnes of fabricated stainless steel hollow box pillars, beams and other connecting structural elements, out of the required 70 tonnes, have already arrived after fabrication from Pennar industry at Hyderabad. The remaining structural parts are being fabricated in Hyderabad and expected to arrive within next 10 to 15 days," the commission of inquiry said in its report submitted in court yesterday.

"The ASI has started excavating floor for making another two foundation base ready for placing portal pillar. These two locations are expected to be ready within a week. Process for excavation for preparing another foundation base has started," Mohanty said in his report, adding that: "I feel that the work is going ahead as per the deadline schedule submitted by the works department through affidavit before the court."

On March 16, the works department's chief engineer (buildings) Satya Ranjan Sethi had, in an affidavit, committed in the court that installation of stainless steel portal frame support would be over by the first week of June.

In an affidavit, ASI (Bhubaneswar circle) superintending archaeologist H.A. Naik yesterday informed the court that "all efforts are being made by ASI and other executing agencies such as the works department and the temple administration to complete the renovation by June 2".