KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday inspected the preparations for the Rath Yatra in Digha scheduled on Friday. She said no people would be allowed on the road where three chariots of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra would be pulled to their Masir Bari (maternal aunt’s home), some 0.75 kilometres from Jagannath temple.
“Barricades are being erected on both sides of the road to avoid the possibility of being stampede. People will be able to see the chariots from there. Ropes of the chariots will also be attached to the barricades, giving opportunities to the people standing on both sides of the barricades to touch the ropes,” she added.
The Chief Minister went to the Jagannath Temple in Digha at around 1.30 pm today to inspect the preparations for the Rath Yatra. She held a meeting to discuss how the three chariots will move and how the crowd will be controlled. State Ministers Arup Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya, State Police DGP Rajeev Kumar, and Radharman Das from ISKCON were present at the meeting.
Banerjee said, “This is the first time that the Rath Yatra is being held in Digha. So, we want to be careful. The chariots will stop for some time on several occasions on their way, ensuring that common people are able to see. We want to ensure a peaceful Rath Yatra.”
The Rath Yatra will begin from the Jagannath temple at around 2.30 pm on Friday. The entire process will be completed by 4.30 pm, the Chief Minister informed.