Expansion work in progress on NH-203. Picture by Sarat Patra
Puri, May 28: Nearly 10,000 buses, 1.5 lakh cars, one lakh autorickshaws, three lakh motorcycles and 30 lakh pilgrims are expected to arrive here on the occasion of Nabakalebar and rath yatra on July 17 and 18. However, cops are in a tizzy as the lack of parking places threatens to plunge festivities into chaos.
"The administration has earmarked 30 parking spaces that at best can accommodate 10,000 buses, two lakh motorcycles and 50,000 cars. This is besides Puri's count of one lakh two-wheelers, 12,000 four-wheelers and 7,000 autorickshaws. It's going to be a tough affair," said a police official responsible for traffic management during the mega festival.
The major worry is that the five major parking places, including the new bus stand at Malatipatpur, are on the outskirts of the city, while the main bus stand is 8km away.
Besides, the government is expecting nearly 200 special trains, which will bring in three lakh pilgrims to the city on July 17 and 18, which coincides with rath yatra.
Although the train timings will be staggered to ensure that there is no jam on the tracks, the travel between the three railway stations in the city and on its outskirts will add to pressure on the road traffic.
"It is going to be chaotic when people in big processions will walk into the town from these places," said an official.
"Major infrastructure works in the city, including road expansion, are yet to be completed and the monsoon is expected to hit the state in mid-June. All branch roads in the city have been dug up either for cabling work or to build sewer lines. If not finished on time, these will cause traffic chaos in the coming days," said a localresident.
On Wednesday, at a meeting of the rath yatra co-ordination committee, there were uproarious scenes with local residents criticising the administration for its failure to complete the projects in time.
The issue of traffic chaos has come to the fore after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) expressed its inability before Orissa High Court earlier this month to complete the expansion project.
To avoid traffic chaos, the state government had planned to build two bypass roads. While one is nearing completion, the progress on the other one connecting Malatipatpur near Puri to Satpada being executed by the NHAI is yet to be over.
However, to avoid traffic chaos, an NHAI official said the 10km bypass road would have two lanes instead of four as planned earlier to meet the Nabakalebar deadline.
While 5km of the road would be made metallic, the rest would be kachha for the moment.
Director-general of police Sanjeev Marik today visited Puri and inspected probable parking sites for vehicles and instructed the officials to complete the pending works by June.
"Traffic management is going to be a tough challenge for us. We are working hard to ensure that everything goes off smoothly. We will face the challenge," Marik said.
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Monday, 22 June 2015
Chaos cloud on Puri fest
Demolition begins to widen road around Jagannath temple
The Puri district administration today along with police and magistrate today began demolishing the buildings situated in the close proximity to the Jagannath temple compound to widen the road extra thirty feet around the temple.
It was resolved in the high level meeting to widen the road around the temple to facilitate smooth movement of pilgrim traffic.
The district administration had initiated land acquisition proceedings but twenty one persons had agitated the issue in the high court and obtained the stay order.
Later, the High court vacated the stay order and disposed their pleas on Wednesday last.
The district administration today demolished one Hajuri building and Sana-Chhata mutt buildings by thirty feet.
The operation would continue till the road was widened by thirty feet,official sources said.
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Police to launch App for tourists to Puri
BHUBANESWAR: Police are all set to launch a mobile-based
application that will help tourists navigate the crowded streets of Puri, look
for hotels and get updates on traffic situation during Nabakalebara.
"The App is almost ready and will be launched soon. Tourists will get live updates on the traffic situation during the festive rush. They can also lodge complaints on lost belongings. These will automatically be transferred to the control room in Puri," DGP Sanjeev Marik told TOI.
On Thursday, Marik inaugurated the official website of Puri police (www.puripolice.nic.in). In December last year, Puri police launched its Facebook page and started a toll-free number (18002002524) to receive grievances during Nabakalebara.
Marik, who was in Puri to oversee security arrangements, said over 10,000 personnel, almost double the manpower mobilized during annual Rath Yatra, are likely to be deployed for the mega festival. He was accompanied by seven other senior IPS officers,
More than 150 closed circuit television cameras will be installed in and around Jagannath Temple. At present, the shrine complex has 16 surveillance cameras."A total of 32 CCTV cameras will be installed inside the temple and the rest on the Grand Road, where the chariots will roll," said SP (Puri) Ashish Singh.
Police have also decided to install baggage scanners at the four entrance to the temple to check gunny bags, carrying vegetables, grocery items and wood into the shrine for preparing Mahaprasad.
Two quick rapid action teams have been formed to effectively combat crisis' situations (hostage or Maoist/terrorist strikes).
The 12th century Jagannath Temple is among the high-risk category temples in the country.
"The App is almost ready and will be launched soon. Tourists will get live updates on the traffic situation during the festive rush. They can also lodge complaints on lost belongings. These will automatically be transferred to the control room in Puri," DGP Sanjeev Marik told TOI.
On Thursday, Marik inaugurated the official website of Puri police (www.puripolice.nic.in). In December last year, Puri police launched its Facebook page and started a toll-free number (18002002524) to receive grievances during Nabakalebara.
Marik, who was in Puri to oversee security arrangements, said over 10,000 personnel, almost double the manpower mobilized during annual Rath Yatra, are likely to be deployed for the mega festival. He was accompanied by seven other senior IPS officers,
More than 150 closed circuit television cameras will be installed in and around Jagannath Temple. At present, the shrine complex has 16 surveillance cameras."A total of 32 CCTV cameras will be installed inside the temple and the rest on the Grand Road, where the chariots will roll," said SP (Puri) Ashish Singh.
Police have also decided to install baggage scanners at the four entrance to the temple to check gunny bags, carrying vegetables, grocery items and wood into the shrine for preparing Mahaprasad.
Two quick rapid action teams have been formed to effectively combat crisis' situations (hostage or Maoist/terrorist strikes).
The 12th century Jagannath Temple is among the high-risk category temples in the country.
Puri seer dares Odisha govt to name, punish officials who insulted him
Emboldened by the Shree Mandir managing committee’s decision to invite him with six of his disciples to have darshan of the Lords atop the chariots during the annual Rath Yatra, Shankaracharya of Govardhanpeeth Jagadguru Swami Nischalananda Saraswati has dared the Odisha government to spell out the names of the officials who had conspired against him since 2014 till date and demanded action against them.
Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanand Saraswati
The Puri Shankaracharya has told Gajapati Dibya Singha Deb on these lines during the Gajapati’s visit to Govardhanpeeth on Wednesday with a delegation of the temple managing committee members to invite him for the darshan of the Lords on Debasnana Purnima at the snana mandap and during the Rath Yatra atop chariots, revealed a member of the delegation who had accompanied the Gajapati.
The Jagadguru also told the Gajapati in clear terms that there should be no repeat of the 2014 incident and the temple managing committee’s decision should not turn out to be hoax. For the purpose, the state government in accordance with the Supreme Court, High Court and Record of Rights spell out its rights and make it public, the member further revealed.
A press statement of the Govardhanpeeth has said that a delegation consisting of Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singha Deb, members of Shree Mandir managing committee and Mukti Mandap visited the mutt on Wednesday and met the Shankaracharya.
The Gajapati Maharaja told the Shankaracharya that the letter issued by the administration in 2014 was inappropriate. The Maharaja assured the seer that no such act will be repeated in the future. Keeping with his wishes and tradition, six of his disciples will be allowed to mount the chariots and have darshan of the Lords atop the chariots.
The Maharaja further told the seer that on the occasion of Snana Purnima the seer with six of his disciples will have darshan of the Lords. The Maharaja informed the Shankaracharya that the decisions were unanimously adopted at the temple managing committee’s meeting.
Jagannath Puri: Old chariot parts on sale
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May 28, 2015 Subhashish Mohanty
File picture of the dismantled parts of chariots after a rath yatra in Puri
Bhubaneswar, May 27: Come June 5, devotees of Lord Jagannath will get an opportunity to buy parts of the divine chariots, including its wooden wheels, as mementos.
Announcing the decision, chief administrator of the Jagannath temple administration Suresh Chandra Mohapatra today said: "The pieces will be sold on first-come-first served basis. While the price of a decorated wooden chariot wheel has been fixed at Rs 50,000, a piece of prava (a decorative wood work on the chariot) will cost Rs 25,000. We have invited people to send their applications or contact us through mobile phone."
The devotees can reach the temple administration at 9437281288 and 9861093172.
Besides, the guja (the wooden plate connecting wheel base and floor of chariot) will be sold for Rs 10,000 and asuri (wooden pillar on the chariot) for Rs 10,000 a piece. The temple administration has decided to sell 108 wheels, 103 pieces of guja, 83 pieces of asuri and nine pieces of prabha. These are parts of the three chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings that are lying with the administration since 2012.
Mohapatra said: "Earlier, the parts of the chariots were used as firewood in the temple kitchens. The sale move is in response to the interest evinced by the devotees." He, however, said they would request the devotees buying the chariot parts not to misuse them.
"If any one misuses it, we will initiate action against the buyers according to law," he said.
In another development, the first meeting of the rath yatra co-ordination committee was held in Puri today to ensure that all ongoing projects for the car festival are completed well in time.
The meeting, however, witnessed angry exchanges as many committee members alleged that a lot of work was yet to completed. They also raised questions as to how drainage, sewerage and road work be completed when most of them had just begun.
Chairman of the Nabakalebar infrastructure committee Maheswar Mohanty, who enjoys the rank of a cabinet minister, admitted the delay in execution of works because of lack of co-ordination between different departments.
"We will ensure that various infrastructure related works are completed before time. As the temperature has dropped a bit, work on various projects will be expedited," he said.
The co-ordination committee meeting also dealt with the issue of health care services and parking facilities for vehicles that would enter Puri during the car festival.
Revenue divisional commissioner Bikash Chandra Mohapatra said: "The government is holding regular meetings to monitor the projects."
The members of the committee also questioned why the temple administration had allowed the carpenters to use kaintha wood instead of phasi wood for making the wheels of the chariots.
"The age-old tradition has been broken. We seek an answer from the temple administration," said senior servitor Rama Chandra Dasmohapatra.
The members also expressed their concern over the temple job of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). They are particularly irked over ASI painting the lower parts of temple mast in red instead of the traditional white. The temple administration has assured to repaint it white.
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190 CCTVs in Puri to Monitor Rath Yatra Crowd
PURI: Director General of Police (DGP), Sanjib Marik on Thursday asked the line departments in Puri to complete all infrastructure works related to the ensuing Rath Yatra by June 15 so that security arrangements can be put in place.
Marik was here to review the security arrangements for the grand festival and inaugurate the website of Puri Police (www.puripolice.nic.in).
Addressing mediapersons, the DGP said a five layer security ring will be thrown around the Jagannath temple, Gundicha temple and Puri town. Although he did not specify the number of security personnel to be deployed during the fete, Marik said anti-sabotage teams will also be roped in to thwart any untoward incident.
The Odisha Police Housing Corporation has already started installing 190 close circuit cameras (CCTVs) across the town to monitor crowd movement.
While CCTVs are also being installed inside the Jagannath temple complex, hoteliers and lodge owners have been asked to install them in their properties to keep an eye on tourists’ movement. Baggage scanners will be installed at Atharnullah, Mangala Ghat and Balighat - the three entry points to the town, while two scanners would be installed at two gates of the Jagannath temple, besides one at the Puri railway station.
The DGP added that the Coast Guard personnel and officers of Marine police stations will patrol the Puri beach in speed boats and aerial surveillance will also be conducted.
As many as 300 lifeguards would be deployed along Puri beach from Chakratirtha Road to Swargadwara to prevent incidents of drowning in the sea. Besides, 14 watch towers would be erected for surveillance.
The Grand Road - venue of the Rath Yatra and Bahuda Yatra - would be declared a no-flying zone and three air ambulances will be stationed at the Talabania helipad for emergency cases, Marik said. An additional helipad would come up prior to the fete at Baliapanda for arrival and departure of VVIPs. A control room would be set up at Town police station to oversee security and crowd movement within the town.
Later in the afternoon, the DGP inaugurated the new building of Baseli Sahi police station, an officers’ hostel, two police barracks, a barrack for female constables in the reserve line police grounds and the SDPO office. Marik also inspected the ongoing works on 35 new parking lots in and around the town and the road intersections along the NH-203 on way to Puri.
Car Festival Meet
Noisy scenes were witnessed at the first coordination committee meeting on the Rath Yatra on Wednesday.
Puri MLA and chairman of Nabakalebara infrastructure supervision committee Maheswar Mohanty expressed concern at the slow pace of infrastructure work. While all the line departments had assured to complete infrastructure works for Nabakalebara by May 25, the projects are moving at snail’s pace.
Attended by officials of all line departments, Jagannath temple priests, members of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration and district authorities, the committee discussed supply of uninterrupted power, potable drinking water during the fete and laying of drains in the town. Members of the committee resented the delay in laying of pipelines and renovation of the District Headquarters Hospital, which is suffering from doctors’ shortage. Officials of the Public Works Department informed that construction of the bus stand at Puri would be over by June 15.
Special Trains
The East Coast Railways (ECoR) would ply 200 special trains to Puri during the Rath Yatra. The ongoing work for doubling of railway tracks would be completed soon, informed the railway authorities. Besides, a permanent rest shed for pilgrims, coming up near the Puri railway station at the cost of `10 crore, is nearing completion.
