PURI: With the Rath Yatra this year marred by serious security lapses which even led to loss of three lives in a stampede near Gundicha temple, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has taken matters into his own hands.
As the Bahuda Yatra (return journey) of the holy Trinity is to be held on July 5 with expected turnout of lakhs of devotees, Majhi on Tuesday chaired two separate high-level meetings with senior officials of the state government and servitors of Srimandir to ensure that the events are incident-free.
Taking responsibility of monitoring the remaining rituals of the nine-day-long car festival, he sent a stern message to officials in charge directing them to follow security protocols in letter and spirit. There will be zero tolerance to any lapses, he warned.
“I am deeply shocked by the unfortunate incidents that took place during the first three days of the Rath Yatra. I have entrusted development commissioner Anu Garg to investigate them,” Majhi told mediapersons after the meeting.
He said, “Our main aim is to conduct the remaining rituals - Hera Panchami, Bahuda Yatra, Suna Besha, Adharpana and Niladri Bije smoothly. A large number of devotees are expected, especially for Suna Besha, due to favourable weather conditions. It is therefore crucial to manage security arrangements effectively and be prepared for any untoward incident.”
The chief minister said the administration has made elaborate arrangements for the timely observance of rituals and hassle-free darshan of deities. He has specifically directed the administration to provide adequate facilities to devotees for darshan of the deities during these major rituals.
Special emphasis will be given on three key aspects - smooth chariot operation and devotee safety, traffic management and fire services. “I have specifically directed that advance crowd estimation be done on a realtime basis for the upcoming three major events. Standard operating procedures (SoPs) are in place for security at various locations and these are to be strictly followed in letter and spirit,” Majhi said.
He further directed that the issuance of cordon passes be strictly managed to reduce congestion within the cordoned area. He emphasised the importance of consulting Maharana sevaks and Bhoi sevaks to determine the best approach for pulling the chariots.
To ensure the safety of devotees during Bahuda and Suna Besha, Majhi instructed that additional forces be requisitioned as needed and volunteers be deployed at Badadanda and around the chariots for effective crowd control.
The chief minister appealed to the servitors not to crowd in front of the deities during the Suna Besha and facilitate darshan of devotees. “I am aware that servitors have certain demands and will address them soon after the festival. My doors are always open for them,” he added.
