JAGATSINGHPUR: Construction of Sabarapalli and Yajna Mandap as well as ‘Chaupata’, sizing of Daru for Lord Balabhadra’s idol, were affected after heavy rain lashed the district on Saturday evening.
The contractors engaged in road widening work from Anakhia to Nanapur and construction of Sabarpalli and Yajna Mandap at Adhanga where the Daru for Devi Subhadra has been finalised had to stop work due to the rain.
The mud stocked by the contractors for construction work got washed away and spread on to the roads obstructing the path of the devotees on their way to Adhanga. Some devotees fell on slippery roads and sustained injuries. A 65-year-old woman Swarnalata Dei, who came from Puri for darshan of the Daru for Devi Subhadra, said, “I slipped and fell in a ditch along the road and was rescued by passerby.” However, Assistant Engineer of RD Department Ajay Kumar Sethy said the situation has improved in the afternoon.
The ‘Chaupata’ work of Daru for Lord Balabhadra had to be stopped. Dalapati Haladhar Dasmohapatra said the site, where Daru was being cut, was filled with knee-deep water on Saturday night forcing the Biswakarmas to halt the work. Despite rainfall, we have decided to complete the process by Monday,” he added.
After ‘Chaupata’, the Daru will be taken to Puri on Sagadi either on April 27 evening or April 28 morning depending on completion of work. The Sagadi will pass through Paradip-Cuttack State Highway and cover Sarala road, Raghunathpur, Kandarpur, Cuttack, Bhubaneswer and Puri, he added.
Collector Satya Kumar Mallick said despite rain and tremor, construction work of Sabarpalli and Yajna Mandap have not been affected at Daru spot of Devi Subhadra. Efforts are on to complete the construction by Monday, he added.