Preparatory meeting held in Bhubaneswar for smooth conduct of Ratha Yatra-2025

Bhubaneswar, April 18 (IANS) Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja on Friday chaired a high-level preparatory meeting held at Lok Seva Bhawan to ensure that this year's world-renowned Ratha Yatra at Puri is conducted in a peaceful and well-coordinated manner.

The Chief Secretary during the meeting directed the Odisha Police administration and all concerned departments to work with precision, leaving no room for lapses in the preparations for the smooth conduct of Ratha Yatra, 2025.

Ahuja emphasised coordinated efforts to maintain order and security throughout the grand festival.

Director General of Police Y.B. Khurania, Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Dr. Arvind Kumar Padhee, secretaries of various departments, senior officials of the state administration and Odisha police were present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department Satyabrata Sahu, Principal Secretary to the Works Department, Puri District Collector, Puri Superintendent of Police, and other officials participated in the meeting virtually.

The authorities held threadbare discussions on the installation of CCTV cameras at strategic locations in Puri for smooth management of traffic, the deployment of adequate police personnel for effective crowd control, running of an Integrated Command Control Centre to ensure better coordination among various departments providing different services for smooth traffic and crowd control, proper traffic and parking arrangements for vehicles during the nine-day long grand festival.

The officials also emphasised timely completion of construction work of all the three chariots, efficient coordination during the pulling of the chariots to avoid any untoward incident and delay.

The meeting also focused on exclusive arrangements for visiting dignitaries and VIP guests and the preparation of the Grand Road (Bada Danda) in Puri for the hassle-free rolling of the holy chariots.

All departments were instructed to carry out their roles with full responsibility to ensure a seamless and spiritually enriching Rath Yatra experience for millions of devotees.

The holy triad - Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra- will embark on a nine-day sojourn to the Gundicha Temple on June 27 this year.

--IANS

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