Odisha to issue fewer ‘cordon passes’ to prevent overcrowding during Jagannath chariot pulling

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to issue fewer ‘cordon crossings’ this year to prevent overcrowding of devotees near chariots during the Rath Yatra, officials said on Sunday.

The decision was taken at a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Saturday evening, after three people died during the Rath Yatra in Puri last year.

Cordon crossings are arranged to enter the inner cordon around the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. Sources said such passes are issued only to people related to rituals or security.

The review meeting focused on timely completion of all arrangements related to security, crowd management, rituals, infrastructure, health, sanitation and logistics, keeping in mind the possible congregation of lakhs of devotees in Puri for the Rath Yatra from July 16.

Focusing on crowd management on the Great Road (also known as ‘Bada Danda’) in front of the 12th-century chariot-drawn shrine, the meeting discussed how to properly conduct ‘Pahandi’ (procession) rituals.

The meeting also discussed the issues arising from the distribution of free cooked food by different religious and charitable organizations on Grand Road and the filth left behind.
The meeting decided to restrict such food distribution on Grand Road and provide a special place for free food distribution to organizations, officials said. The meeting also discussed in detail issues related to traffic management, installation of CCTV cameras and emergency arrangements for surveillance at various places, road repair in and around Puri city, control room management, adequate police deployment and parking arrangements, officials said.

For the convenience of passengers, the Railways will set up eight more ticket counters, an official said.

Meanwhile, chariot construction reached its sixth day on Sunday. Work on Akshaya Tritiya started on April 20.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee informed the meeting that 576 of the required 865 timber logs have already been collected.

Padhee said a technical committee was overseeing the construction process.

Garg emphasized on ensuring the durability of the ropes used to pull the chariots.

Meanwhile, major infrastructure projects in Puri are nearing completion to accommodate the large number of pilgrims who will visit the coastal town during the Rath Yatra, officials said.

These include the Jagannath Ballav Pilgrim Centre, multi-storey car park in Digabareni and the redevelopment of Acharya Harihar Chhak.

The renovation of Shree Gundicha Temple is also expected to be completed before the festival begins. For a better commuter experience, the Matiapada overbridge on Puri-Konark Road is in its final stages and will be operational soon to ease traffic pressure.

The state government also plans to install around 1,600 temporary toilets across the city. To combat possible heavy rains, 23 locations have been identified for high-capacity water pumps to ensure rapid drainage.

Eight 10-bed temporary hospitals will be established at various locations to provide emergency care in the healthcare sector and reduce the burden on Puri district hospital.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home Ministry, Hemant Sharma, Principal Legal Secretary, Pabitra Mohan Samal, ADGP SK Priyadarshi, Puri collector Dibyajyoti Parida and Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh attended the meeting.