PURI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Puri from Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
Banerjee, who was escorted to government PWD bungalow Nirman Nivas close to the beach, is scheduled to visit Shri Jagannath Temple on Wednesday. Owing to her visit, the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) officials in a meeting with servitors rescheduled the timings of afternoon rituals to morning in the shrine to facilitate Banerjee’s visit in the afternoon. As a result, the temple will remain closed for devotees for five hours in the morning.
The chief minister’s family priest Jagannath Swain Mahapatra will perform rituals for her in the temple. Banerjee will also witness the fashioning of the flag on 214 feet high ‘Nilachakra’ after which she will offer prayers to goddess Vimala, Mahalaxmi and other deities in their respective shrines located in the ‘Karma Bedha’.
In the morning, the chief minister has plans to visit Baliapanda area of the city where the proposed Bengal guesthouse will be constructed. The state government has allocated five-acre land along the beach for the purpose. On Tuesday, Banerjee took a stroll on the beach. Four platoons of police force headed by senior officers have been deployed for her security in the town.