Servitors play gongs in unison as part of rituals during rath yatra on Grand Road in Puri. Picture by Rashbehari Das

A visit to Puri is incomplete without a dip in the sea. In anticipating of the crowd swelling at the beach during rath yatra, the district administration has taken several measures to ensure that the devotees have a safe bath.

The authorities have deployed 100 lifeguards to keep constant vigil at the beach and prevent accidents. The police department has also provided them t-shirts emblazoned with the word “Lifeguard”. While information kiosks have been pitched to guide first-timers, the police are also keeping a close eye on the beach activities.

Puri tourist officials said the hotels along the beach have been requested to fix halogen lights to illuminate the sandy paradise during the festival, which would help tourists steer clear of danger after the sun goes down.

To prevent incidents of drowning, the lifeguards would monitor the seven-km long beach while most areas in the town would be under CCTV surveillance.

“Besides the lifeguards, around 300 nolias (members of the fishermen community) have also been deployed by some voluntary organisations. We are taking special care to prevent any untoward incident,” said Puri superintendent of police (SP), Anup Kumar Sahu.

In the last seven years, more than 110 people had drowned in the sea in Puri, 22 lives alone lost last year. This had raised questions on the security arrangements at the beach. But the district administration is hopeful of checking such incidents during the festivities.

Lifeguards, too, are enjoying the challenge of managing the huge crowd at the beach and keeping accidents at bay.

“On other days, we work in shifts but from rath yatra to bahuda yatra, we will stay alert 24x7,” said Dambaru Rao, a lifeguard.

“But people have to listen to our advice and stay cautious while bathing in the sea. They must not go to isolated patches,” said another lifeguard, Artu Damuru.

The district administration is also distributing leaflets mentioning the do’s and don’t’s at the beach.

“Our people will be there to convince young tourists not to consume alcohol and enter into the water,” said the police officials.

Hoteliers have been instructed to educate tourists staying at their hotels about being wary while bathing in the sea.

The police also said that the coast guard would also keep vigil like every year.

“Though there is no intelligence input about any terrorist attack from the sea, we are taking all precautions. Since the 2008 terror attack in Mumbai, the coast guard has become extra cautious about security in the Puri beach,” said a senior police official.