Govt forms ministerial panel to oversee Puri Rath Yatra arrangements
Bhubaneswar: State govt has formed a high-powered ministerial committee, headed by deputy chief minister Pravati Parida, to supervise the arrangements for the June 27 Rath Yatra in Puri, according to a law department notification released on Friday.
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The committee comprises four cabinet ministers as members — Prithiviraj Harichandan (law), Mukesh Mahaling (health), Krushna Chandra Mahapatra (housing and urban development) and Bibhuti Bhusan Jena (commerce and transport). Law secretary Manas Ranjan Barik has been appointed as the convener, with Parida serving as the chairperson.
"The committee's mandate includes supervising and guiding government-level arrangements for Rath Yatra, which anticipates attendance exceeding 10 lakh devotees.
Smooth conduct of rituals, proper crowd management and convenience of devotees will be the focus areas," a senior govt official said.
The govt is taking comprehensive measures, including plans to extend invitations to the President, Prime Minister, Union ministers and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states for the annual festival. The celebrations will take place two weeks after the BJP govt in Odisha marks its first anniversary on June 12, an occasion expected to draw prominent BJP members, including PM Narendra Modi. "We will leave nothing to chance to ensure inter-departmental coordination for an incident-free Rath Yatra celebration," the official said.
Sources said the committee is likely to visit Puri in a day or two to oversee the preparations and discuss with various stakeholders as well as servitors of the Jagannath Temple.
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