Bhubaneswar/Puri, July 13:With the world-famous Puri Rath Yatra just two days away, Chief Advisor to the Odisha Chief Minister and former IPS officer Prakash Mishra on Monday reviewed the security arrangements, traffic management, and overall preparedness for Rath Yatra 2026 in Puri.

As the holy city is set to welcome lakhs of devotees from across Odisha, India, and abroad for the annual chariot festival beginning on July 16, the Odisha government has intensified its preparations to ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the event.

The high-level review meeting was attended by Arvind Padhee, Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Soumendra Priyadarshi, Additional Director General of Police (Modernization), Dr. Satyajit Naik, Inspector General of Police, Central Range, Odisha, along with senior officials from the Police and Civil Administration.

The meeting focused on strengthening inter-agency coordination, operational readiness, crowd management, traffic regulation, and emergency response mechanisms to ensure the safe, secure, and seamless conduct of Rath Yatra 2026 for the millions of devotees expected to visit the holy city.

Officials stressed the importance of close coordination among all stakeholder departments and directed concerned authorities to meticulously implement all security and logistical arrangements to facilitate a peaceful, orderly, and hassle-free Rath Yatra.