Bhubaneswar: Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Wednesday said a decision has been taken in the temple management committee and the government that no other ghee will be used in the Shri Mandir. For cooking or lighting diyas, we will use OMFED ghee only. The sanctity and purity will be maintained, he added.
On Tuesday, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) requested Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (OMFED) to set up an exclusive depot to supply pure ghee to the Puri temple.
In the letter, SJTA’s chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said after discussion with the servitor nijogs concerned, it has been decided to use only OMFED ghee for preparing Mahaprasad and lighting lamps in the temple. “Therefore, OMFED has been requested to take steps to ensure adequate supply of ghee to the temple by opening a dedicated depot, which will help meet the requirement and prevent entry of sub-standard ghee,” Padhee said.
Padhee also urged OMFED to consider requests from various parties to reduce the price of ghee. “Strict steps will be taken to prevent the entry of any ghee other than that supplied by OMFED into the temple. Any violation will not be tolerated, and strict action will be taken if attempts are made to bring other branded ghee into the temple,” he said.
About 6,000 litres of ghee is purchased from OMFED every month at Rs 700 per litre for the temple, sources said.