Manish Kumar
Post News Network
Puri, July 17: Preparations were on at a frenetic pace Friday on the eve of the millennium’s first Nabakalebara festival in the holy city.
Tourists from across the country and abroad have already started arriving in the city in large numbers. This year’s Rath Yatra is expected to witness a crowd of over 40 lakh as it coincides with the Nabakalebara festival.
Despite entry to the Netrotsav ritual being banned for the public, thousands of visitors were seen thronging the Srimandir entrance. Their hopes were, however, dashed as they were met with closed doors.
Devotees will get their first ‘darshan’ of the new deities only when they would be carried out of the temple on to the chariots Saturday.
The government and the temple administration, working in tandem, have cleared the Grand Road of all street vendors and encroachments, including commercial hoardings, in order to allow entry and a clear view of the deities for as many devotees as possible.
Municipal bodies have been working round the clock to keep the city streets clean. A number of voluntary organisations too have jumped onto the bandwagon to assist the government in its work.
The district administration has meanwhile created 33 Nabakalebara villages for the visitors to stay for the duration of the festival while a number of LED screens have been installed along the sea beach, railway station, and important junctions to facilitate the view of Rath Yatra for the citizens of Puri.
However, on many fronts, the preparedness of the authorities seemed to have taken a back seat. At many Nabakalebara villages Friday there was a dearth of medical professionals. At many such places, there was also a shortage of supply of medicines before 11am. Many people at these sites also complained of defunct mobile phone charging points.
“Thursday evening the city witnessed massive rain and the premises of our Nabakalebara village was filled with water. Anyhow, sunny days brought in a sigh of relief for us Friday. However, many charging points here are defunct and we are unable to contact our relatives. Also, the medical aid started late,” says Mohan Yadav, a resident of Mau from Uttar Pradesh. He was staying at the Nabakalebara village near VIP road.
Meanwhile at the Grand Road, a tourist information centre installed by the tourism department was facing a shortage of people and tourist-related material, leaving many tourists clueless. Material reached there at around noon. Many first-aid centres were yet to start functioning on the Grand Road, the epicentre of Rath Yatra.
