Puri: Tourists who came to visit Srimandir and local vendors having stalls on Badadanda faced considerable inconvenience for nearly three hours Sunday due to the restrictions imposed by the district administration during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the temple.
The market on Badadanda remained closed from morning to noon as the district administration had asked the vendors not to open their shops so that there is no usual rush on the road during the PM visit. The peak business hour for the vendors is the morning as most of the tourists prefer to visit the 12th-century shrine in the morning. But due to the restrictions, it was an unusually dull day for the vendors, said sources.
The temple was opened in the morning as usual and, after the divine rituals were conducted, the visitors were allowed to have darshan of the deities. However, after 8.30 am, all the devotees were asked to vacate the temple.
Tourists who were unaware of the PM’s visit and reached the temple after 8.30 am faced considerable inconvenience. Hotels, mutts, dharmasalas and lodges in the holy town had put no notification regarding the restrictions on the day due to the PM’s visit.
The district administration had also vacated the beggars from outside the shrine during the PM’s visit. The beggars usually sit outside the temple for alms throughout the year. PNN