Cuttack, Dec. 21: The Jagannath Chetana Gabeshana Pratisthan said the laws introduced to improve the Jagannath temple management had not been implemented.

In an affidavit submitted before the Justice Bimal Prasad Das Commission, the pratisthan has urged for "immediate amendment" to record of rights, which gives a detailed account of duties and privileges enjoyed by the sevayats (servitors).

Based in Puri, the pratisthan is an organisation engaged in research work on Jagannath cult of Odisha. They make efforts to bring in uniformity to the rituals of all Jagannath temples in and outside the state, as well as abroad.

"No amendment has been made to the list of right holders ( sevayats) prepared under the Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1952," the pratisthan's general secretary Rabindranath Pratihari said in his affidavit.

The legislation introduced in 1952 had the clear intention to prepare the record of rights to streamline the nitikanti and seva puja and ensure that there was no mismanagement in the affairs connected with the deity.

The legislation that followed in 1955 recognised the record of rights prepared under the 1952 act. In the act, there was no committee. The Shri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee was formed under the new legislation in 1955 with the Puri King as chairman and an officer not below the rank of additional chief secretary as ex-officio working as chairman and chief administrator.

The act provided for submission of an annual administrative report by the committee and subsequent gazette notification. "But, this is not being totally followed. It should be made mandatory," Pratihari said.

"The act provided for appointment of a permanent chief administrator for the temple. But giving full attention to the temple affairs is not possible if he is saddled with other government responsibilities," Pratihari said, while suggesting setting up of a separate office for the chief administrator in Puri.

The pratisthan's other proposals are related to maintaining of standard of mahaprasad and price control mechanism, sanitation on the temple premises and special attention to education, health and economic development of the sevayats.

The Viswa Hindu Parishad's Odisha unit, on the other hand, had submitted 10,344 affidavits and suggested that the donations received should go directly to the temple fund without any involvement. The affidavits, however, said: "But each sevak, without any claim to the receipts of donations, should be suitably remunerated, on a monthly basis, according to the seva he performs."

It also suggested setting up of "a residential educational institution under the CBSE that will offer courses with spiritual and religious contents and should admit children belonging to the families of sevaks with special emphasis on tradition and customs of Srimandir".

Yesterday was the last day for receiving affidavits.