First preparatory meeting was held to discuss about the preparations for the smooth conduct of the annual Rath Yatra 2023

Puri: 29/3/23:The first preparatory meeting for the world famous Rath Yatra was held under the chairmanship of Puri Collector Samarth Verma Today.

In the meeting, discussion was held to ensure smooth conduct of the mega religious event. All departments have been directed to finalize their own action plans to rectify the problems of the last year festival.

The officials also discussed in detail regarding the rituals of the Holy Trinity from Akshaya Tritiya to Sunabesh.

Crowd control, drinking water supply, health and sanitation were also part of the discussion in the meeting.

The Akshaya Tritiya will be celebrated on April 23 followed by Snana Purnima on June 4. Rath yatra will be held on June 20 while Bahuda will be on June 28. Similarly Sunabesh ritual will be performed on June 29.

Preparations have started at the administrative level for all these events.

All departments have been directed to coordinate among themselves and prepare an action plan accordingly. The public health department and civic body have been directed to ensure adequate water sprinklers, drinking water supply in view of the scorching heat.

The civic body has been directed to carry out necessary repairs and cleaning of drains, including the one connecting Srimandir to the Gundicha temple.

In view of the gathering of lakhs of devotees, police have made elaborate arrangement for hassle-free festival. Emphasis has been laid on crowd control, traffic management, smooth completion of the construction of chariots. Police continue to carry out the anti-crime drive in the town to crack down on crime and criminal activities, SP said.

Similarly, unsafe buildings in Baddand will be identified and necessary action will be taken by the Public Works Department before the Rath Yatra. During the construction of the chariot, there will be a special corridor for devotees and tourists.  Barricades will be erected for the Rath khala (chariot construction yard). The administration has set a target to complete the Srimandir heritage project before Rath Yatra.The next meeting will be chaired by RDC (Central) in April.