The Odisha government has begun preparations for the Rath Yatra festival seven months in advance, aiming for error-free arrangements after a stampede during the 2025 event killed three people, officials said on Wednesday.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg chaired a high-level preparatory meeting on Tuesday evening, directing officials to identify lapses from last year and implement corrective measures well ahead of the festival.
“I have urged all the departments to identify errors from the Rath Yatra of previous years and implement corrective measures. Seven months are left for the mega event, during which one can make error-free planning,” Garg told reporters.
The meeting was attended by senior officials, including DGP YB Khurania, DG Fire Services Sudhansu Sarangi, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee, Puri Collector Dibyajyoti Parida and Puri SP Prateek Singh.
Traditionally, the state-level preparatory meeting is held four months before the festival. This year, Rath Yatra will be held on July 16.
“We do not want to take any chance. Every department should start drawing up foolproof plans from now on,” Garg said when asked about the early meeting.
Last year’s festival saw three deaths in a stampede, while delays in chariot pulling had also triggered resentment among devotees.
A massive public outrage forced Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to apologise for the lapses.
An official said the focus of the meeting was mostly on crowd management, sanitation, water supply, infrastructure, security and traffic management.
"As the crowd swells every year during Rath Yatra, the perpetration should be augmented proportionally. We cannot repeat the same formula and the same yardstick for the management of a mega event like the Rath Yatra. It should be dynamic and accommodating," he said.
Last year, about 10 lakh people participated in the festival in the seaside town, he added.
The temple requires 865 logs for chariot-making every year. Since 47 logs have been in store from last year, the administration has started making arrangements for the remaining 818 logs, for which the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Nayagarh is working, a statement said.
Garg, who headed the inquiry into the 2025 stampede, has instructed the DGP to avoid excess crowding near the chariot during the procession.
Apart from this, it was decided not to allow free food distribution on the Grand Road, which causes crowding. Parking spaces for around 500 cars will be made available for smooth management of traffic, she said.
