Bhubaneswar: The world-famous Rath Yatra of Puri is scheduled to take place on June 27. To ensure the festival is well-organized and smoothly conducted, a high-level meeting was held this afternoon at the State Police Headquarters in Cuttack under the chairmanship of the Director General of Police (DGP), Shri Yogesh Bahadur Khurania. On this occasion, DGP Khurania instructed senior police officers to remain active and vigilant to ensure the disciplined conduct of the Rath Yatra.
As per the tradition of the Shree Jagannath Temple, various key rituals of Lord Jagannath will be observed on different dates:
June 11 – Debasnana Purnima
June 26 – Nabajouban Darshan
June 27 – Rath Yatra
July 1 – Hera Panchami
July 4 – Sandhya Darshan
July 5 – Bahuda Yatra
July 6 – Suna Besha
July 7 – Adharapana
July 8 – Niladri Bije
Millions of devotees from across the country and abroad are expected to gather in Puri for the event.
In view of the massive footfall, the meeting discussed various security arrangements. The DGP emphasized the expansion of security measures, deployment of senior police officers for independent duties, and implementation of the following:
Installation of CCTV cameras at important locations in the city
Use of road dividers, delineators, and traffic zones for smooth traffic management
Adequate parking arrangements
Streamlined traffic control operations
At the seashore, strict police patrolling will be ensured, along with the setting up of temporary police outposts.
The Railway Police will also step up security measures at Puri, Bhubaneswar, Khurda, and Jatni railway stations. The DGP advised close coordination with the RPF (Railway Protection Force) for smooth operations.
To control crime within Puri city:
All police station zones will conduct special drives against criminals
Regular checks will be carried out in hotels and lodges
Deployment of patrolling vehicles and K-9 squads
Drone surveillance and special security measures to prevent untoward incidents
Helipads will be arranged for VIPs
Dedicated accommodation and facilities will be provided for police forces
Arrangements for disciplined chariot pulling, barricading, issue resolution in coordination with the district administration, and streamlined darshan (viewing) for devotees were also discussed in detail
The meeting also covered emergency preparedness measures.
Among those who attended the meeting (some virtually) were:
Director (Intelligence) Shri R.P. Koche
Additional DGP (Modernization) Shri Soumendra Kumar Priyadarshi
Additional DGP (Rail & Coastal Security) Shri Arun Bothra
Additional DGP (Law & Order) Shri Sanjay Kumar
Transport Commissioner Shri Amitabh Thakur
Additional DGP (Communication) Shri Dayal Gangwar
Additional DGP (SAP) Shri Rajesh Kumar
IG (Central Range) Shri S. Praveen Kumar
IG (Operations) Dr. Deepak Kumar
IG (BPSPA) Shri Anup Sahu
IG (Crime Branch) Dr. Sarthak Sarangi
DIG (Provisioning) Shri Charan Singh Mina
DIG (SIW) Dr. Kanwar Vishal Singh
DIG (STF) Shri Pinak Mishra
SP (Railway) Shri Vivekanand Sharma
SP (Puri) Shri Vineet Agrawal
…along with many other senior police officials.
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