Puri, Jul 13: With just two days remaining for the world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, the Puri district administration on Monday conducted a comprehensive mock drill on the Grand Road (Bada Danda) to assess emergency preparedness and strengthen coordination among various departments.

The exercise was carried out at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) located within the Town Police Station premises. It aimed to ensure seamless coordination among all agencies involved in managing the annual festival, which is expected to draw an even larger number of devotees than in previous years.

During the mock drill, Puri District Collector emphasized that all officials must perform their duties with utmost dedication, in line with the Chief Minister's directive to make this year's Rath Yatra completely accident-free. He stressed the importance of coordinated efforts to ensure the safety, security, and convenience of millions of pilgrims visiting the holy city.

Officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Fire Services, Health Department, Police, Transport Department, and several voluntary organisations participated in the exercise. The drill demonstrated emergency response strategies, crowd management techniques, rescue operations, and inter-departmental coordination to effectively handle any unforeseen incidents during the festival.

The Fire Services Department also conducted a separate emergency response demonstration as part of the preparedness exercise, showcasing firefighting and rescue protocols for potential emergencies.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister's Advisor Prakash Mishra visited Puri ahead of the Rath Yatra to review the final preparations. He held detailed discussions with the Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the Additional Director General of Police, and the Inspector General of Police, Central Range, regarding security arrangements and festival management.

After reviewing the arrangements, Mishra expressed satisfaction with the preparations, stating that all necessary measures have been finalized to ensure the smooth, safe, and successful conduct of this year's Rath Yatra.