Bhubaneswar/Puri: Odisha government has prepared a master plan with a focus on crowd management and safety for the annual Rath Yatra in Puri, officials said Wednesday.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg presided over the second meeting of the Rath Yatra Coordination Committee Tuesday evening at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, they said.
Puri District Collector Dibyajyoti Parida and Puri Superintendent of Police Prateek Singh presented the Rath Yatra Master Plan 2026 at the meeting and sought cooperation of various departments for the mega festival, an official said.
“The master plan has been prepared in view of the past experience, particularly the mismanagement in 2025,” he said.
Notably, three persons, including two women, were killed and around 50 others injured in a stampede during the Rath Yatra festival in Puri last year.
This year, the Rath Yatra festival is on July 16 and the ‘Bahuda’ Yatra (return car festival) on July 24.
During the coordination committee meeting, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration’s chief administrator Arabinda Padhee said that preparations were underway, with wood procurement completed for chariot making.
He said that this time separate arrangement has been made for “charamala” (huge wooden ladder being fixed to chariots to bring down deities from chariots).
Last time, the stampede took place when the wooden ladders were being shifted near Sri Gundicha Temple.
During the discussion, the chief secretary stressed on the need for the timely completion of Lord Jagannath’s rituals to start the chariot pulling on schedule, crowd management on Puri’s Grand Road (Bada Danda), parking facilities, healthcare services, emergency response, and sanitation.
DGP Y B Khurania suggested installing sufficient CCTV cameras from Uttara Chhak to Bada Danda for the smooth conduct of crowd management.
An integrated command control centre will be established to maintain law and order and manage crowds effectively, another official said.
The Information and Public Relations Department has been assigned to arrange for broadcasting the Rath Yatra rituals.
Indian Railways will enhance ticket counters at Puri station and ensure online ticket availability for better crowd management, he said.
The Odisha Police was assigned the work of making temporary parking lots at multiple locations, while the Emergency Department was asked to ensure the installation of 50 high-mast lights to illuminate Bada Danda.
During the meeting, the Works Department assured completion of road repairs and maintenance ahead of time, the official said.
PTI