Puri: Terming the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri as a ‘national festival’, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Monday appealed for proper coordination between administration, servitors and devotees to make the event a mega success.
Majhi said this while addressing a special meeting held 10 days ahead of the annual Rath Yatra July 16.
“I call upon all officers, employees, and servitors not just to do their respective duties, but to perform work with complete devotion while keeping the spirit of ‘bhakti’ paramount,” the chief minister said.
Majhi reviewed the preparations for the festival with ministers, officers and servitors and said that measures should be taken to correct the mistakes committed in the past for better devotees’ service while serving the Lord.
Majhi said his government has issued firm instructions to maintain the highest level of coordination in security, crowd management, health, and sanitation arrangements to ensure the Rath Yatra is conducted in complete safety and without any flaws.
He also stressed women’s safety during the festival, which is expected to witness a congregation of lakhs of people from across the country and abroad.
“We have accorded top priority to completing all tasks with punctuality and integrity, as well as making every essential information easily accessible to devotees through print media and social media platforms,” he said, adding that the administration will take strict action against those spreading baseless rumours.
He said, “Our sole resolution is that every devotee who visits Puri gets the divine blessings and returns with a joyful, safe, and unforgettable spiritual experience.”
Keeping in view last year’s delay in chariot pulling and a stampede where three people were killed and several others injured, Majhi issued strict instructions to the Puri district collector to make all required provisions to make the festival smooth.
“I order the Puri collector not to issue a single additional cordon pass to anyone. The officials and the servitors who have to perform duties near the chariot only need to be given a cordon pass this time. The person who mistakenly or deliberately enters the inner cordon of the chariots needs to be brought back with humility,” Majhi said at the meeting.
The chief minister also cautioned the police and the administration that many anti-social elements may try to take undue advantage in the festival. Therefore, police need to be extra careful and deal with them properly as women’s safety is paramount in the festival, he said.
The chief minister said that a large police force of about 220 platoons (1 platoon comprising 30 personnel) would be deployed for security and crowd management. Similarly, all arrangements have been made for health, sanitation, drinking water, transportation, and traffic control. He emphasised on proper monitoring of all the work. The chief minister also praised the servitors for completing all the rituals in a timely manner.
Majhi said the authorities should use various media for awareness. The CM said that if the devotees are given real-time information on the rituals, traffic situation and others, it would be easy to manage the crowd.
“If important information is shared with the public in time through FM radio, social media, departmental websites and television, many problems can be avoided. A strict vigil should be maintained on rumour mongers and strict action should be taken against them,” Majhi said.
The chief minister also released a booklet ‘Ruprekha- Rath Yatra 2026’ published by the Puri district administration.
Deputy Chief Ministers KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, several ministers, MPs, MLAs, chief secretary, DGP and others attended the special meeting.