BHUBANESWAR: Several arrangements including separate barricades for general and differently-abled devotees will be put in place at Shree Jagannath temple at Puri to streamline the rush at the 12th century shrine. These measures will be implemented after Kartik Purnima this year.
This was decided at a meeting of the Srimandir’s Chhattisa Nijog on Tuesday. Chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Arabinda Padhee said separate barricades will be put up for men, women, senior citizens and differently-abled devotees in the temple.
Under the Augmentation of Basic Amenities & Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA) scheme, the Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation (OBCC) wing of the Works department has proposed a dedicated barricading system near the Natya Mandap for smooth movement of devotees. “As per the proposal, a collapsible wooden barricading system will be put in place which will include separate lines for men, women and children, elderly persons and PwD devotees,” he said.
This barricading system will include a ramp from where devotees can get a glimpse of the Trinity on Ratna Simhasan from different points of the Natya Mandap including Garuda Stamba, he informed. Devotees will enter the temple through ‘Sata Pahacha’ and exit through ‘Ghanti Dwara’. The OBCC has submitted a prototype of the barricading system to the SJTA.
Deputy chief administrator of SJTA and Puri collector Siddharth Swain said the work will be carried out without disturbing daily rituals of the temple. “A tender will soon be floated to finalise the agency for implementing the work.”
OBCC has been approached for re-installation of AC barricade outside the temple on the Grand Road. The AC tunnel was dismantled before Rath Yatra this year.