Bhubaneswar, July 15: The tourism and culture department will set up information centres at various places in Puri to assist tourists and pilgrims.

Around nine such centres will be set up at prominent locations, including Malatipatpur bus stand, Jagannath Ballav and Talabania.

The centres would provide all necessary information on the ritual schedules and public utilities such as parking, free bus service and temporary accommodation. Information related to hotels, hospitals, transportation, banks, ATMs, and tourist spots near Puri would also be available.

"The centres would serve as one-stop destinations, where the visitors will get all the information related to the grand festival. Adequate number of officials would be deployed to provide assistance, even in case of any medical emergency," said tourism secretary Aravind Padhee.

Keeping the huge gathering in mind, the department would also set up 33 temporary shelters or Nabakalebar Villages that would host around one lakh people. The facilities at these shelters will be available free of cost. Parking facilities will be available at 26 places in and around Puri, with basic amenities.

The tourism department has also published a booklet that contains the emergency contact numbers of officers and control rooms that are operated by various government agencies during the festival. Over one lakh booklets would be distributed among the tourists.

The booklet also has a list of do's and don'ts for the tourists. A few important points include not venturing into the sea without the help of lifeguards, following traffic rules, not wearing jewellery in crowded places and not leaving children and elderly persons alone in the crowd. "It would be a guideline for the tourists to help them understand how they should conduct themselves to avoid problems," said Padhee.

The government also unveiled merchandise, including T-shirts, caps and jute bags with the Nabakalebar logo on them. A toll-free emergency number - 1800-208-1414 - is also running 24X7 to help the visitors.