Bhubaneswar, April 26: Devotees, who have come to Adanga village under Biribati block to see the neem tree identified for making the idol of Goddess Subhadra, are facing a lot of problems as the road connectivity there is in a bad state.

"Though the district administration knew about the identification of the sacred tree here, no steps were taken to improve the road conditions. The devotees are facing a lot of problems," said Ananta Das, 42, a Cuttack resident.

Jagatsinghpur collector Satya Mallick said: "We didn't have enough time to build a proper road to the place. However, in the last two days, we have put earth and mud on the path leading to the location. The mud will take time to dry."

What has made the matter worse is the sudden spell of rain since last night. The visitors could not move freely as the mud track turned very slippery.

"There is no proper arrangement for the devotees who have come in large numbers to see the tree. The government should intervene," said Pratap Mohanty, 46, a Bhubaneswar-based businessman, who came to see the scared tree.

Besides, adequate police arrangements have not been made for maintaining law and order.

The servitors have also expressed their reservations on the availability of infrastructure at the site. "More stress should have been given on building proper infrastructure at the place. The devotees coming to the place are facing a tough time," said Daitapati Niyog Association president Ramakrishna Das Mohapatra.

He also said: "However, the bana jaga yatris, who left Puri in search of the scared trees, are ready to face any difficulty. We will return to Puri only after getting the sacred tree for Lord Jagannath."

Sources said the scared wood for making the idol of Lord Jagannath has already been found at Raghunathpur block about 10kms from Adanga village.

The sacred timber for the idol of Lord Sudarshan has already reached the Puri temple and the idol making has already begun.

The tree identified for making the idol of Lord Balahadra at Kanakpur village in Jagatsinghpur has also been chopped off. "It will be carried on a cart, pulled by servitors as well as devotees from Kanakpur to Puri, a distance of 100 km," said Das Mohapatra.