Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday reviewed the preparations for the annual Ratha Yatra during a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan here and stressed better coordination, communication and safety measures to ensure the smooth conduct of the festival. The review came days after the Chief Minister held a similar high-level meeting in Puri on July 6.
During the review meeting on Friday, the Chief Minister assessed the overall arrangements and directed officials to maintain close coordination and constant communication at every level to avoid any communication gaps during the festival. Majhi emphasised timely conduct of rituals, security of the chariots and devotees, crowd management and fire safety.
He said efficient and experienced officers would play a key role in ensuring the orderly management of the Ratha Yatra. Reiterating the importance of coordination, the Chief Minister said, "There should be a system for continuous sharing of information among officers and employees at every level to ensure the implementation of pre-determined decisions and to take necessary measures as required.
Senior officers must ensure that there is no communication gap under any circumstances." The Chief Minister also reviewed arrangements related to cordon management, women's safety, surveillance of suspicious persons and substance abusers, traffic regulation, quality checks of food and drinking water, emergency evacuation plans and weather-related preparedness.
He asked officials to make all arrangements foolproof. According to the official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, around 12,000 police personnel, along with adequate number of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), will be deployed for security arrangements during the festival.
The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy will also remain on alert to check any illegal activities through the coastal route. Meanwhile, as many as 19 senior IPS officers have been assigned the duty to supervise the overall security arrangements.
The CMO further added that the state government has installed 473 CCTV cameras to keep watch on the movement of devotees and 65 large LED screens to disseminate important information to devotees in Odia, Hindi and English. Similarly, 16 permanent mobile towers and several temporary towers have also been set up to strengthen communication services. Bulk messaging facilities will also be used to disseminate information.
The government also informed that help desks will be established at Gundicha Temple to assist elderly and differently-abled devotees to have hassle free Darshan of the deities. Multiple evacuation corridors have been created for crowd management, while an Integrated Command and Control Centre will monitor all security operations.
Officials have also made arrangements for parking facilities, high-mast lighting along the Grand Road, 1,700 bio-toilets and eight temporary hospitals to provide healthcare services during the festival. Volunteers will be deployed to ensure regular cleaning of the bio-toilets.
The meeting was also informed that more than 300 special trains will operate to Puri during the Rath Yatra. The Chief Minister directed officials to coordinate crowd management and passenger movement according to train schedules.
Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration Aravind Padhee and Additional Director General of Police Soumendra Priyadarshi presented detailed reports on the preparations.