Bhubaneswar, Nov 29: The state government has increased financial assistance to more than 4,000 Hindu temples under the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowment Commission, state Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan informed the Assembly on Saturday.

Responding to a question from MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, the minister said the annual grant for these temples has been raised from Rs 5 crore to Rs 7.5 crore -- an increase of Rs 2.5 crore over the previous year. The state has over 18,000 temples under the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowment Commission, of which 4,145 temples receive direct financial assistance.

Harichandan said the enhanced allocation has been made for the current financial year to support maintenance, rituals, and basic functioning of smaller temples that rely solely on government aid.

In a separate reply, Odisha Works Minister Harichandan said the Cuttack Chandi Temple redevelopment project will be completed by 2026. He was answering questions from Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous on delays in major infrastructure works in the city.

The minister said the Chandi Temple project is progressing as per schedule and is under regular review. He added that process-level work for the Cuttack's Ring Road has begun, though field execution was delayed due to heavy rains, high river water levels and a recent site accident. “The project will be completed within the planned timeline,” he assured the House.

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Harichandan also stated that preliminary procedures for constructing the second Trisulia bridge have commenced. MLA Firdous expressed concern about delays caused by alignment issues, DPR gaps and lack of inter-departmental coordination, urging faster execution of all three projects.

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