Puri, May 8: Puri is gearing up for the world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, scheduled for July 16, following Debasnana Purnima on June 29. The festival is expected to attract over one million devotees, concluding with Niladri Bijay on July 27.
To ensure smooth conduct, authorities are focusing on crowd control, timely pulling of the chariots, organized management of Pahandi and other rituals, safe transportation, drinking water, sanitation, and hassle-free facilities for devotees. Additional arrangements include independent train services, ticket counters, rest areas, mobile network support amid crowds, and maintenance of all major roads connecting Puri.
A Rath Yatra Coordination Committee meeting will be held on Friday at the Town Hall, chaired by the RDC (Central Division). Key officials, including the Law Secretary, Police Commissioner, Puri District Collector, SP, and other administrative heads, will attend. The meeting will review responsibilities assigned to various departments and plan structured implementation based on feedback from experts and officials.
Previous administrative directives, including tasks assigned during a February meeting under the Chief Secretary for orderly management of the festival, are still underway. While security and independent entry gates at the Shri Gundicha Temple are partially ready, only 50% of drainage cleaning and repair work, including slab construction, has been completed. Temporary CCTV installations along the route to Puri are also pending.
Road widening and improvement works along Puri’s key highways—Puri-Bhubaneswar, Puri-Konark, Puri-Satapada, and Puri-Nirakarpur—are in progress, with parking area upgrades and construction of the Matiapada rail overbridge expected to be completed by the end of June under RDC supervision.
Authorities have emphasized structured management to avoid last year’s incidents near Shri Gundicha Temple, where crowd-related mishaps caused casualties. The upcoming coordination meetings will finalize a detailed roadmap for smooth and secure conduct of the Rath Yatra this year.
