BHUBANESWAR/PURI: With little time in hand after the Supreme Court gave its go ahead to Rath Yatra at Puri, the State Government swung into action, activating its administrative machinery on a war footing for smooth conduct of the chariot pulling ceremony on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the preparations at a high-level meeting and urged every person involved in conduct of Rath Yatra to strictly abide by the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Centre and the State Government.
Taking stock of the preparations, the Chief Minister said construction of the chariots has been completed in time and all rituals are being observed correctly.
Stating that centuries-old traditions along with public health will have to be kept in mind during conduct of Rath Yatra, he said, “The attention of the entire world will be on us. We will have to show the world how such mega events are held by adhering to social distancing and other guidelines, with discipline.”
While Chief Secretary AK Tripathy and DGP Abhay rushed to the pilgrim town to make the necessary arrangements, Naveen asked three senior ministers, Law Minister Pratap Jena, Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das, Minister of State for School and Mass Education Sameer Ranjan Dash and deputy chairperson of the State Planning Board Sanjay Dasburma to camp in the town till Niladri Bije, the culmination of the festival on July 4, and supervise all activities on ground.
The State Government immediately imposed a 41-hour shutdown in the entire district from 9pm on Monday to 2pm on Wednesday. “All entry points have been sealed and barring urgent matters, no one will be allowed to enter Puri town,” DGP Abhay said.
Odisha Police has deployed over 50 platoons of police force in Puri for the festival. “Primary responsibility of police will be to check unauthorized entry of people into the town during the festival and pull the three chariots in case any need arises. Mostly, the servitors will pull the chariots,” the DGP stated.
The DGP requested people of the town not to visit the Bada Danda (Grand Road) and watch the event from their homes on television. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb about conduct of the festival. In a series of tweets, Shah said that on being directed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he discussed rituals pertaining to the Rath Yatra with the Puri Gajapati Maharaj.
Chief Secretary reviewed the preparations along with the DGP at Puri. “I am confident that the Rath Yatra will be conducted smoothly tomorrow without devotees and strict adherence to the COVID-19 guidelines,” he said.
The Puri district administration also held a preparatory meeting for the event and different departments were directed to keep their apparatus ready.