BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of Rath Yatra next month, Puri police conducted a mock drill on Wednesday to assess the preparedness and coordination among various departments to respond to any medical emergency at the Shree Jagannath Temple during the festival.
The objective of the exercise was to assess the preparedness and coordination among cops, temple administration, Health department and other emergency response teams during any medical exigency that may arise on the temple premises, especially during peak hours and festive days, police said.
The mock drill was carried out to strengthen emergency response mechanisms, enhance inter-agency coordination and ensure the safety and well-being of devotees and sevayats inside the temple, they added.
As part of the exercise, a mock medical emergency situation was enacted where a dummy devotee collapsed near the sanctum sanctorum (Garbha Gruha). The medical staff provided first aid to the unwell dummy devotee, following which he was swiftly evacuated on a stretcher through the shortest exit path in the temple.
Police officers, ambulance and medical staff, and officials of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) as well as Odisha Fire and Emergency Service participated in the mock drill. Their roles and responsibilities were assigned as per the standard operating procedure (SOP). The internal communication and alerting systems, including the VHF sets, were tested to ensure their efficiency and timeliness. The drill was carried out without causing any disruption to the temple rituals or the movement of the devotees.
“Ensuring the safety of devotees and sevayats inside the Shree Jagannath Temple is our top priority. This mock drill was designed to test and strengthen our readiness to handle medical emergencies promptly and effectively,” said Puri SP Vinit Agrawal. Such drills are crucial in building confidence among the devotees and the staff while also identifying the potential gaps in the mechanism to deal with any medical emergency. The involvement and support of the local community further strengthened the objective of the exercise, he added.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day during Akshaya Tritiya celebrations, which marked the commencement of ‘Rath Nirman’ (construction of the chariots) and Chandan Jatra of Lord Jagannath, police formed a human chain to create a dedicated corridor for Palia sevayats to facilitate their smooth entry into the temple amid the huge rush of devotees.