post news network, Bhubaneswar, June 17: The Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has now planned to make the journey of the pilgrims, keen to visit the famous Puri Jagannath temple on the occasion of the Rath Yatra, a memorable one.
To ensure that the devotees are absolutely safe while they enjoy the darshan of the holy chariot, the OTDC has started issuing tickets for the rooftop of the craft complex managed by the corporation at the Jagannath Bolkar math, from where the devotees will get a clear view of the Yatra. According to the officials at the OTDC, this will ensure a safe darshan for the devotees at the time of the festival.
P K Chand, public information officer of the OTDC said, “We have planned to give some alternative to the pilgrims at that time. Here, we can accommodate around 200 devotees, besides the existing rooftop of the Hotel Grand, which has traditionally been used by the pilgrims for the darshan. It can accommodate around 150 people.”
Officials say, the sale of tickets is open to the public for both the sites and can be booked at the OTDC office on the Lewis road. However, ticket for viewing the Yatra has been included in the package given by the corporation for the Nabakalebara festival.
Meanwhile, the authority has been toiling hard to give a facelift to the Panthnivas (tourist bungalow) managed by the OTDC in Puri to cater to the needs of the tourists flowing in during the Yatra. Work is going on in full swing and according to the officials, will to be completed before the mega event.
Nevertheless, the corporation, which has at its helm the tourism director, has planned to bring out souvenirs related to the mega event with the aid of some nationalised banks in order to promote the event at the national and the international levels. The souvenirs will be sold through several counters of the banks in the coming few days.