Thousands of devotees arrive in Puri for Lord Jagannath's 'Rath Yatra'

Puri: Thousands of devotees have congregated at this seaside pilgrim town for Lord Jagannath’s annual ‘Ratha Jatra’ on Tuesday for which the Odisha government has made elaborate arrangements, officials said.

As many as 180 platoons (1 platoon comprises 30 personnel) of security forces were deployed in Puri, said Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur.

A total of 125 special trains will travel to Puri during the festival, an official said, adding, a large number of CCTV cameras assisted by drone cameras will function during the ‘Rath Yatra’.

Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief administrator Ranjan Kumar Das said it is expecting a congregation of around 10 lakh people in Puri on Tuesday when the chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath are pulled till the Shree Gundicha temple.

”The state government has made elaborate arrangements keeping in view the hot and humid weather conditions in Puri. Volunteers will sprinkle water on devotees, and a green corridor has also been formed for any health emergency,” chief secretary P K Jena said.