2025 Stampede memories, Covid scare: How Puri is gearing up for Rath Yatra tomorrow
With memories of last year's stampede still fresh, Odisha has left no stone unturned to make sure this year's Rath Yatra passes without a hitch. An elaborate security plan has been put in place. However, Covid scare in neighbouring Andhra has come as an added concern.
The temple town of Puri comes alive like nowhere else during Rath Yatra. Every year, the coastal town turns into a sea of devotion as Lord Jagannath and his siblings begin their annual journey to the Gundicha temple. However, the festival's grandeur brings a formidable challenge - managing the lakhs of devotees who flock to Puri for the nine-day festival. With memories of last year's stampede still fresh, the Odisha government has left no stone unturned to make sure this year's event passes without a hitch.
However, this year, the authorities are grappling with an added concern - a Covid scare in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. With the government expecting around 30 lakh devotees to converge on Puri on Thursday, the first day of the Rath Yatra, authorities have stepped up Covid surveillance and random testing. Ganjam district, which shares a border with neighbouring Andhra, has been placed on high alert.
HOW PURI IS GEARING UP FOR RATH YATRA
The first day of the festival is the most significant. It marks the symbolic journey of Lord Jagannath, along with siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra, in three wooden chariots to Gundicha Temple - regarded as the birthplace of Lord Jagannath. It serves as the temporary abode of the deities before they begin their return journey (known as Ulto Rath or Bahuda Yatra) a week later.
As the wooden chariots make their way along the Grand Road, lakhs of devotees line the road to touch the sacred ropes - considered a blessing. This is what fuels the rush and results in chaos each year. In fact, there have been several incidents previously where devotees have been injured after coming under the wheels of the chariot.
But such is the pull of Lord Jagannath.
With lessons from last year's stampede, which left three dead and over 50 people injured, the BJP government has put in place an elaborate security and crowd management plan. An unprecedented 12,000 police personnel and over 200 executive magistrates have been deployed at different locations across the city.
Besides cops and central forces, personnel from the Navy and Coast Guard have also been roped in.
The whole procession will be monitored by 19 senior IPS officers through the 500 CCTVs that have been installed in each nook and corner of the temple town. An integrated command and control centre will oversee the crowd movement. Drones will also be used for real-time aerial surveillance.
LESSONS FROM 2025 STAMPEDE
Last year, a massive crowd rushed towards Gundicha temple for the first darshan of the deities, resulting in the stampede. A high-level probe was ordered after the opposition BJD slammed the government's "incompetence" and "abysmal failure" in crowd management.
While the probe report was not made public, a report in HT said it pinned blame on negligence of cops and failure of the AI-based integrated command and control centre.
The inquiry report said the police failed to manage the swelling crowd near the chariots and allowed a loaded truck to enter the choc-a-block area, triggering the stampede. The probe, led by development commissioner Anu Garg, also found several CCTVs to be either poorly positioned or non-functional. In fact, of the 275 CCTV cameras, only 123 functioned at any point, the report said.
This time, the government started preparations for the festival seven months in advance. Multiple evacuation corridors have been earmarked to facilitate the swift movement of devotees in cases of emergency or chaos.
Special facilities will be available for those with disabilities, the elderly, and women. Those who died in the 2025 tragedy were elderly, including a woman. Around 1,700 bio-toilets have been installed for devotees.
Moreover, this year, police said supporters of VIPs would not be allowed into the restricted area near Lord Jagannath's chariot, TOI reported. Previously, around 10-20 supporters of ministers, MPs and MLAs used to enter the restricted area, leading to congestion.
According to an RTI query, around 2,500 cordon passes and 22,250 privilege passes were issued last year. This year, there has been a strict cap on cordon passes, and those trying to piggyback on VIPs would be barred.
For lakhs of devotees, Rath Yatra is the only occasion once a year when Lord Jagannath and his siblings come out of the temple. Will Puri be able to pull off a safe Rath Yatra this year?
The temple town of Puri comes alive like nowhere else during Rath Yatra. Every year, the coastal town turns into a sea of devotion as Lord Jagannath and his siblings begin their annual journey to the Gundicha temple. However, the festival's grandeur brings a formidable challenge - managing the lakhs of devotees who flock to Puri for the nine-day festival. With memories of last year's stampede still fresh, the Odisha government has left no stone unturned to make sure this year's event passes without a hitch.
However, this year, the authorities are grappling with an added concern - a Covid scare in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. With the government expecting around 30 lakh devotees to converge on Puri on Thursday, the first day of the Rath Yatra, authorities have stepped up Covid surveillance and random testing. Ganjam district, which shares a border with neighbouring Andhra, has been placed on high alert.
HOW PURI IS GEARING UP FOR RATH YATRA
The first day of the festival is the most significant. It marks the symbolic journey of Lord Jagannath, along with siblings Balabhadra and Subhadra, in three wooden chariots to Gundicha Temple - regarded as the birthplace of Lord Jagannath. It serves as the temporary abode of the deities before they begin their return journey (known as Ulto Rath or Bahuda Yatra) a week later.
As the wooden chariots make their way along the Grand Road, lakhs of devotees line the road to touch the sacred ropes - considered a blessing. This is what fuels the rush and results in chaos each year. In fact, there have been several incidents previously where devotees have been injured after coming under the wheels of the chariot.
But such is the pull of Lord Jagannath.
With lessons from last year's stampede, which left three dead and over 50 people injured, the BJP government has put in place an elaborate security and crowd management plan. An unprecedented 12,000 police personnel and over 200 executive magistrates have been deployed at different locations across the city.
Besides cops and central forces, personnel from the Navy and Coast Guard have also been roped in.
The whole procession will be monitored by 19 senior IPS officers through the 500 CCTVs that have been installed in each nook and corner of the temple town. An integrated command and control centre will oversee the crowd movement. Drones will also be used for real-time aerial surveillance.
LESSONS FROM 2025 STAMPEDE
Last year, a massive crowd rushed towards Gundicha temple for the first darshan of the deities, resulting in the stampede. A high-level probe was ordered after the opposition BJD slammed the government's "incompetence" and "abysmal failure" in crowd management.
While the probe report was not made public, a report in HT said it pinned blame on negligence of cops and failure of the AI-based integrated command and control centre.
The inquiry report said the police failed to manage the swelling crowd near the chariots and allowed a loaded truck to enter the choc-a-block area, triggering the stampede. The probe, led by development commissioner Anu Garg, also found several CCTVs to be either poorly positioned or non-functional. In fact, of the 275 CCTV cameras, only 123 functioned at any point, the report said.
This time, the government started preparations for the festival seven months in advance. Multiple evacuation corridors have been earmarked to facilitate the swift movement of devotees in cases of emergency or chaos.
Special facilities will be available for those with disabilities, the elderly, and women. Those who died in the 2025 tragedy were elderly, including a woman. Around 1,700 bio-toilets have been installed for devotees.
Moreover, this year, police said supporters of VIPs would not be allowed into the restricted area near Lord Jagannath's chariot, TOI reported. Previously, around 10-20 supporters of ministers, MPs and MLAs used to enter the restricted area, leading to congestion.
According to an RTI query, around 2,500 cordon passes and 22,250 privilege passes were issued last year. This year, there has been a strict cap on cordon passes, and those trying to piggyback on VIPs would be barred.
For lakhs of devotees, Rath Yatra is the only occasion once a year when Lord Jagannath and his siblings come out of the temple. Will Puri be able to pull off a safe Rath Yatra this year?
