Kolkata, April 4 (IANS): Repairs to the famed Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri are needed immediately to prevent collapse of certain parts of the 12th century shrine, warned a former IIT-Kharagpur faculty member who is spearheading its restoration.

"The Jagamohana assembly hall of the temple needs to be restored right away. Repair of the 12th century shrine cannot be delayed any further," said Anandapran Gupta, former head of the IIT's civil engineering department and now chairman of the Shree Mandir Technical Core Committee (SMTCC).

"So, we are going to take action to strengthen the columns to the maximum possible extent, to see that the beams do not collapse," he said. These are the two objectives on which the committee took the final decision on March 29.

Gupta, an expert in archaeology, reviewed the condition of the Jagamohana in the presence of the superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) regional circle, members of the SMTCC and members of the committee formed of sevayats (temple servitors) to oversee the repair of Jagamohana.

During the review, Gupta studied different reports on the issue prepared by the expert team and SMTCC earlier.

In middle of last year, the 20-member expert committee headed by Gupta, after a thorough inspection of the sanctum sanctorum and Jagamohan, had suggested removal of moss from the Garbhagruha wall and roofs.