post news network, Puri, July 16: Around 33 Nabakalebara villages, set up in and around Puri, to accommodate the massive inflow of devotees and tourists on the occasion of the upcoming Rath Yatra this Saturday, are in different stages of preparedness and have received a mixed response from the visitors Thursday.
Tourists and devotees, who wanted to avoid the unnecessary inconvenience owing to the rush of the visitors from within and outside the state on the day or the day before the Rath Yatra, have begun to trickle into Puri since Thursday morning. The number increased with the passage of time, with evening experiencing significant inflow. For many, the temporary accommodation facilities, the Nabakalebara villages, remained the only sources of shelters, as most of the hotels in Puri were booked to the full by tourists, much in advance, leaving no place to accommodate the new entries during this mega fest, which is expected to experience a footfall of around 50 lakh.
Scattered on different sites inside and on the outskirts of Puri, these temporary facilities, put up by the state government, displayed different levels of readiness, Thursday. While a few seemed fully prepared and equipped with amenities for the visitors, many seemed to toil hard to meet the needs of the growing number of visitors.The Nabakalebara villages in the temple city are being managed by the district administration. These villages have been provided with sheds, sleeping arrangements, fans, CCTVs, medical facilities, fire extinguishers, separate toilets etc. among others.
“We are now almost ready with the accommodation facility on our campus. We have a plethora of basic amenities as envisaged by the government. We are also offering tourist information service, besides medical service, so that the tourists can spend hassle-free days in Puri and take part in the Rath Yatra,” said Amay Kumar Parida, information officer of the Nabakalebara village-1, near the Malatipatpur Bus Stand.
The Malatipatpur Nabakalebara village started witnessing surge in tourists since Thursday morning. Though the facility has most of the other amenities in place, alongside the necessary security arrangements ready by Thursday afternoon, the medical aid facility and some other counters were yet to operate.
Meanwhile, the other such accommodation units as those near the Grand Road and the Station Road witnessed slow inflow of tourists. At these places also all the counters set up to assist visitors did not open Thursday. Meanwhile, the Nabakalebara village near the BNR hotel was lacking on many fronts. Only a few volunteers were there to guide the incoming visitors.
“I have come from Varanasi to take part in the mega event as this event is a very important part of our mythological beliefs. I, along with four members of my family, have come down to this place. Although, I am happy with the stay and the toilet facilities, but the counters for medical aid and the information centre are not yet functioning properly. As so many people have begun to come by today, the organisers should have arranged for these things,” said Mohan Lal Srivastava, a devotee, who has come from Varanasi.
The East Coast Railways has also made an accommodation facility near the Puri railway station to serve the incoming tourists better. Although a few people came to this site till the afternoon, but guests began to swell from the evening.
The railway accommodation facility has been equipped with CCTVs, LED screens, seating arrangements, where the floor has carpets and information–cum-helping counters. The railway officials Thursday seemed to be busy giving the final touches to the place to make the place fit to accommodate the crowd. However, all the counters, outside the site, stayed closed.