Trees lining the route of the Rathyatra to be organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), in Calcutta, should be properly trimmed, and potholes on the roads should be repaired to ensure the chariots don’t get stuck, police have written to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

The letter, sent around 10 days ago, stated that since the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Baladeva will be quite tall, they may get stuck in tree branches lining the roads.

The officials of the civic body should ensure that the trees are adequately pruned and potholes are repaired before the Rathyatra, the letter stated.

Iskcon officials said Lord Jagannath’s chariot will be the tallest among the three and stand at 38 feet, while that of Lord Baladeva will be 36 feet high. Devi Subhadra’s will be the smallest of the three.

“A report from the respective traffic guards about the condition of the roads along which the three chariots will travel on Friday, as a part of the Rathyatra organised by Iskcon, has been submitted to the KMC,” a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

“The engineers of the respective boroughs have been informed about the need to trim tree branches along the route,” he said.

The 54th edition of the Rathyatra will start from Hungerford Street and move down AJC Bose Road, Sarat Bose Road, and Hazra Road to reach the Hazra crossing.

From here, the three chariots will move along SP Mukherjee Road, ATM Road, Chowringhee Road, Exide crossing, JL Nehru Road, and finally reach the Brigade Parade Ground.

The Ulta Rathayatra on July 5 will start from Outram Road and move along JL Nehru Road to reach the Esplanade crossing. From here, the three chariots will move along SN Banerjee Road to reach the Moulali crossing and then move further east towards CIT Road, Suhrawardy Avenue, Park Circus Seven Point, and finally return to the Iskcon temple on Hungerford Street.

The festival will be inaugurated on Friday by parliamentarian Subrata Bakshi and Iskcon governing body commission member Jayapataka Swami as chief minister Mamata Banerjee will be away in Digha where the new Jagannath centre will host its first Rathyatra.

“A senior officer of Kolkata Police spoke to me on Wednesday, and the details of the programme and the route were discussed once again to ensure there are no glitches,” vice-president of Iskcon, Calcutta, Radharamn Das, told Metro.

“We have decided to put in place collapsible canopies for the chariots so that just in case any of the three gets stuck on the top, the rath’s movement isn’t hampered. The width of the chariots has been reduced by two feet this time to ensure they don’t get stuck.”

“The Rathyatra procession will start from 1pm. By then, the preparations would be completed. The engineers have been asked to remain ready in case any challenges crop up,” a senior KMC official said.