No threat to Konark Sun Temple: Union min

There is no threat from any angle to the 13th century Sun Temple at Konark, a UNESCO world heritage site, Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said Monday.

The minister held a review meeting here during the day. It was attended by officers of the Odisha government, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), experts and other stakeholders.

After the meeting, he told newsmen that he had agreed to the state government's proposal of constituting a committee comprising international experts to look after the conservation and preservation of the temple.

The committee will be set up within a month, Sharma said, adding that it would also examine the alleged safety threats and other conservation issues of the Sun Temple.

Stating that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written to him to express his concerns over the safety of the Black Pagoda, as Konark is called, Sharma said: "The examination report by technical experts from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) found that the safety standard of Konark Temple is more than five times higher than the minimum level."