Bhubaneswar: Odisha government is putting in place proactive measures to ensure safety of nearly a million devotees who will attend the upcoming Rath Yatra at the world-famous temple of Lord Jagannath in the seaside town of Puri in eastern India next month. The government’s aim is to avert possibilities of accidents like in recent years.
Rath Yatra, the rollicking annual festival in which three gigantic chariots of the three deities are pulled by several lakhs of devotees through a main street in Puri, remains one of India’s biggest religious festivals. It is due on July 16. With three devotees dying during last year’s Rath Yatra, also known as car festival or chariot festival, the government is keen on making safety arrangements foolproof.
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As part of an age-old tradition, the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken by the three wooden chariots to Gundicha Temple from Srimandir, the majestic 12th-century seaside temple that has been the three deities’ abode.
Usha Padhee, a top bureaucrat of Odisha government, visited Puri and held a review of Rath Yatra preparedness on June 6. Padhee, additional chief secretary of the housing and urban development department, stressed on getting ready critical civic infrastructure and public service arrangements across the town ahead of Rath Yatra, said officials.
At least three people, including two women, were killed in a stampede near Gundicha Temple and 50 others injured during the festival in 2025, making it the most serious among Rath Yatra incidents at Puri. In 2024, at least two people died and dozens injured in separate mishaps during the pulling of the three chariots.
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Odisha government has prepared an extensive security and crowd-management plan by deploying AI-powered cameras and drones for the upcoming festival. Officials said one-way traffic systems and 65 LED information screens are being deployed across Puri to facilitate smooth traffic flow and the safety of the devotees. Seven senior IPS officers have been entrusted with key responsibilities during the car festival, said officials.
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“Rath Yatra festivals in Puri in the past two years, conducted under the supervision of Odisha’s BJP government, were marred by the accidents and deaths. The government now wants to take no chances in the upcoming festival. Keeping it free from incidents would be a major achievement for the state government,” said a BJP leader familiar with the government’s plans for the festival.