Bhubaneswar, June 27: The Odisha government, police and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) have put in place elaborate security and crowd management arrangements for Snana Purnima, to be observed in Puri on June 29.
With a massive influx of devotees expected, authorities have drawn up a comprehensive plan to ensure the smooth and peaceful conduct of the annual festival. On the occasion, Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra will be ceremonially bathed with 108 pitchers of sacred water, followed by the traditional Hati Besha of the deities.
Senior police officials, including ADG Soumendra Priyadarshi,
IGP (Central Range) Dr. Satyajeet Nayak and Puri SP Prateek Singh, reviewed the security, crowd management and traffic arrangements on Saturday. The review focused on preparedness for crowd control, public facilitation, traffic regulation and inter-departmental coordination to ensure the festival is conducted safely and without any untoward incidents.
Security deployment will be significantly strengthened in and around the Jagannath Temple. A robust surveillance network comprising 152 CCTV cameras inside the temple, around 250 cameras outside the shrine and 30 additional cameras along the road up to Market Chhak will monitor crowd movement throughout the festival.
To streamline pilgrim movement, all roads leading directly to the temple have been declared no-vehicle zones. Devotees will enter the shrine through the Lion's Gate and exit through the North Gate. Barricades with shaded waiting areas will be set up up to Market Chhak to provide comfort to pilgrims waiting in queues.
Comprehensive traffic restrictions will also be enforced across Puri. SP Prateek Singh said two-wheelers arriving from the Bhubaneswar side will enter the town through Harekrushnapur Chhak and can be parked at the Market Complex and the old JBPC facility. Visitors heading to the sea beach will be able to park their vehicles near Digabareni.
Parking facilities will operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Jagannath Ballav has been designated as the primary parking area. Once it reaches capacity, vehicles will be diverted to the Jail Road parking facility, followed by the temporary parking area at Saradha Bali if required.
All inter-state buses bound for Puri will terminate at Malatipatapur, while city buses will be stationed at Saradha Bali. Tourist buses will be diverted from Malatipatapur to Talabania, and no buses will be permitted to enter the city during the festival. Similar traffic management measures have also been planned for vehicles approaching Puri from the Konark and Brahmagiri routes.
Authorities expressed confidence that the coordinated security and traffic management plan would ensure the smooth, safe and peaceful conduct of Snana Purnima.
