Puri: As the nine day-long festival, Rath Yatra begins in Odisha from today, nearly 65 platoons of police, led by 10 Additional Superintendents of Police, 31 Deputy Superintendents of Police and 64 inspectors are deployed to keep the devotees off the town.
The Supreme Court has granted permission for the Jagannath Rath Yatra to take place in a limited radius. The district administration has imposed a curfew from 8 PM on Sunday for two days, official sources said. The administration; imposed curbs across the 3-km long Grand Road from Shree Jagannath Temple to Sri Gundicha Temple where all activities excluding medical emergencies are prohibited.
Only COVID-19 negative or Servitors immunized against the novel virus have been allowed to pull the chariots. People have been directed not to congregate on rooftops in large numbers to witness the festival from the residential houses, hotels, lodges and guest houses. The measure is taken keeping in view the public health and to check the spread of infection among citizens
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted people on the occasion of Lord Jagannath Yatra. “Greetings to everyone on the special occasion of the Rath Yatra. We bow to Lord Jagannath and pray that his blessings bring good health and prosperity in everyone’s lives. Jai Jagannath,” Modi said in a tweet.
President Kovind also took this microblogging site and wished everyone good health and happiness.
This is the second year that the Odisha State government is organizing the devotee-less rath Yatra due to the pandemic.