Where the human meets the divine

Bhubaneswar, June 21: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik wants this year?s Puri rath yatra to be a clean affair.

The chief minister, who reviewed a preparatory meeting in the temple town, said the district administration should arrange for makeshift washrooms and take extra care to keep the beach clean.

The district and temple authorities should set up information kiosks at the railway station, bus stand and other prominent places, he advised, adding that the sale of unhygienic food be prevented.

Around 10 lakh people attended the rath yatra last year. This time, the Jagannath temple administration is expecting 12 lakh visitors.

Eviction of unauthorised shops from Grand Road is in progress and repair work has been completed, Patnaik said. The district administration has banned the sale of non-vegetarian items on Grand Road during the festival, which starts on June 27.

Security is high on the authorities? agenda and visitors should not be surprised to see scores of policemen in the town. The men in uniform will be everywhere ? roofs, roads, the town?s entry points ? to ensure that the mega event passes without a hitch.

Aware of the threat of a terrorist strike, the government wants to take no chances. A coordination meeting of the district administration last week decided that three units of the anti-terrorist special operation group (SOG) will be deployed in the town in addition to 62 platoons of state police, snipers and two companies of the Rapid Action Force.

Puri superintendent of police Sanjeev Panda said the SOG personnel are specially trained in anti-terrorist operations and will be equipped with sophisticated arms.

The police have launched search operations in guesthouses and hotels. Besides, metal detectors have also been pressed into service at all four gates of the temple.