Around 150 traders and vendors had to leave their shops near the Maa Sarala temple in Tirtol in 2015 due to the Lord Balabhadra Daru. The temple beautification project started in 2022 and some other shop owners were also displaced. However, after eight years, the shop owners have not been relocated and the temple beautification work is still not finished.
During the Daru location bid in 2015, the unauthorized shops around the temple were demolished. Later, in November 2022, the temple store room, kitchen, and some old rooms attached to the temple were also demolished for the beautification proposal. But the construction and renovation of these rooms are still incomplete. Construction materials dumped around the temple are causing inconvenience to visitors and devotees.
The Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, had announced a special package of Rs 42 crore for the development of the Maa Sarala temple. The temple and its peripheral development were part of the 5T integrated development program. The project was supposed to be completed within one year. It included developing all sub-shrines on the temple premises and installing a bronze idol of Adikabi Sarala Das.
The 72 shop owners and vendors who were displaced were promised shops in the newly built market complex. However, after eight years, the market complex is still incomplete and they have not been provided with new shops. The displaced people raised their concerns with the 5T Secretary during his visit to the temple. The market complex construction is almost finished and will be completed within a month, but it seems that the temple beautification work may not be finished on time.
