Puri, June 22: The Shree Jagannath Temple administration today changed the axle of Darpadalana, the chariot of Goddess Subhadra, that had developed cracks ahead of Sunday's car festival.

The cracks in the chariot wheel's axle, which were noticed yesterday, had sent the state administration into a tizzy. Worried over the crack, the government today rushed a technical team to Puri to assess the damage caused to chariot following the cracks in the axle.

"The crack in the axle was noticed yesterday as one of the wheels got deflected. The broken axle connecting the wheels near the brake was tied with an iron chain temporarily and the repair work was undertaken in the morning. Each axle connects a pair two wheels of the chariot. If an axle breaks down during pulling of the chariot, a disaster could have happened," said a carpenter.

In the presence of the technical team, a new axle was made and installed on the chariot today.

While Darpadalana chariot has 12 wheels, the chariot of Lord Jagannath - known as Nandighosh - has 16 wheels and the chariot of Lord Balabhadra, Taladhawj, has 14 wheels.

One of the carpenters engaged in the construction of the three chariots said: "There were some weak parts in a piece of wood. If that log is used as an axle, it puts pressure on the most vital part of the wheel. Sometimes, it breaks down. Last night, the axle of Darpadalana broke as it was unable to withstand the pressure of the chariot."

The temple administration which was not in a mood to take any risk with the car festival only three-days ahead, had authorised the technical team to take any action that it deemed fit to make the chariot ready for the festival. It assured the team of its full co-operation. Puri district collector Arvind Agrawal also assessed the damage caused to the wheel.

Member of the technical committee Niroj Das said: "We have sufficient wood in the construction yard. So, we did not find any problem replacing the broken axle." The technical committee has also identified some defects in some portion of Lord Balabhadra's chariot and has started its repair. District collector Agrawal said: "There will be no problem and everything will be in place before the festival."

Chief carpenter (Maharana) of Nandighosh Bijay Mohapatra said: "No one should be worried about the safety of chariots. All the chariots are safe. Sometimes, it's very difficult to detect a hollow inside a piece of wood. Last year, similar mistakes were found. This time, we are replacing the weak wood."

However, the servitors have taken the matter seriously. Senior servitor Ramchandra Das Mohapatra said: "A probe should be ordered. The carpenters were provided with the wood and necessary materials. Despite this, the axle broke, which is not a good sign."

In another development, director general of police K.B. Singh today took stock of security preparedness for the rath yatra. Singh said 127 platoons, two units of Rapid Action Force, two platoons of Special Operations Group would be deployed in the town during the car festival. Police have also chalked out detailed plan to manage traffic.