Puri, June 25: Inclement weather - a persistent drizzle and humidity - combined with civic problems played spoilsport for tourists and devotees, who thronged this holy town to take part in rath yatra.

The early morning rain had inundated several areas of the town with parts of Grand Road, where the procession takes place, waterlogged in parts.

"There should be an effective mechanism to tackle such situations. Looking at the inundated areas, it seems that the administration has not taken any measures for such emergencies. Thank God the rain has stopped or else things would have been worse," said Aakash Nayak, a visitor from Nayagarh.

After the rain, heat and humidity made life miserable for the visitors. However, volunteers sprinkled water on the devotees to save them from falling sick. The volunteers also stayed alert for any medical emergencies.

"We have, so far, taken three persons to the health camps after they fainted. This is the usual weather of Puri and we are prepared for such situations. The rain could be a major hurdle, but it is good that it has stopped," said Gyana Ranjan Sahoo, a volunteer of Indian Red Cross-Odisha State Branch.

Besides the weather, devotees had to suffer because of civic failures of the district administration. Inadequate dustbins and toilets forced the citizens to violate the cleanliness norms. They continued to litter in the open and were seen searching for toilets.

"I walked on the Grand Road in search of a dustbin to dump an empty water bottle, but couldn't find any for a long distance. I found one near the town police station, which was overflowing with garbage. I was forced to dump in that bin. There should be enough waste bins if the authorities want to maintain cleanliness here," said Jayanta Mehera, a visitor from Bargarh.

Besides, the administration has put up enough toilets near the cordon for the VIPs and VVIPs, but has forgotten to do the same for the general public.

"It is difficult mainly for women. On the one hand, the administration is encouraging cleanliness, but on the other it is failing to provide us the facilities," said Devika, a tourist from Telengana.

The administration, however, claimed that they were prepared for every situation, ensured cleanliness and provided enough civic facilities. "We have put up enough toilets and also asked a few organisations to help us in this. The dustbins were also put in place and the sanitary workers were on their toes to maintain cleanliness," said Puri municipality chairman Jayanta Sarangi.