Bhubaneswar, June 29: The government today appointed a senior IPS officer Soumendra Priyadarshi as officer on special duty for the Nabakalebar festival.

The government also divested Suresh Mohapatra of the energy department so that he could concentrate on his work as the chief administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple.

Priyadarshi, IG (operations), has served as district superintendent of police in Puri twice and is considered an efficient officer and has the experience of managing the car festival several times in the past. Hemant Sharma will take over as the principal energy secretary.

The state government today decided to have 280 doctors and 650 paramedical staff in Puri on standby for the festivals.

Health and family welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said the doctors had already been posted. "Instructions have already been issued to these doctors and paramedical staff to join their duties in Puri from July 1. If any of them does not turn up, departmental action will be taken against them," said Nayak.

He added that since additional doctors and paramedic staff were required in Puri during the festival, the departments was taking measures to ensure that there would be no shortage of doctors in rural and urban hospitals of the state.

"The department has decided not to accept leave applications of any of the doctors between July 1 and August 1," said the minister.

The Chhatisha Niyog (36 categories of servitors associated with the temple) today met at the office of the temple administration to discuss the car festival and the rituals and activities associated with the event. A timetable is being fixed.

The chief temple administrator and the heads of all the niyogs attended the meeting. The niyog members said they would co-ordinate among themselves so that everything took place smoothly.

Probe demand

The temple administration has written to the crime branch to look into the matter of circulation of photographs of the soul transfer and cremation of the deities on social media. The chief temple administration has requested the additional director general (ADG) of the crime branch to treat the letter as a copy of the complaint.

Violence arrests

The police have arrested four persons in connection with the violence during the strike call given by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee demanding action against the erring persons involved in the mismanagement of the soul transfer and secret rituals of Nabakalebar.