PURI: Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, the advisor to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on Wednesday, announced the launch of the Jagannath Bus Service to cater to the needs of devotees.
Anticipating a substantial influx of devotees to Puri after the inauguration of the Srimandir Parikrama, Mahapatra stated that Jagannath buses would operate from various locations to Bhubaneswar and Puri, providing devotees with a unique experience.
During a field visit to the Parikrama and other related projects such as Sri Setu and Sri Danda earlier in the day, Mahapatra conducted a review meeting attended by Temple chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das, district collector Samarth Verma, officials from executing agencies, and members of the temple managing body.
Highlighting the state government’s commitment to managing the surge of devotees, Mahapatra said about 60 buses would be deployed to Puri. Responding to servitors’ request to increase medical insurance coverage to `10 lakh and enhance scholarships for servitor students pursuing higher education, Mahapatra assured that they could present their demands to the chief minister.