The first high-level meeting for this year’s Rath Yatra was held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of RDC AB Ota while district Collector Arabind Agarwal presented the report on the preparation for the festival. The meeting discussed about supply of the required timber logs by the Forest Department for construction of the three new chariots. It also discussed sanitation, power and potable water supply and drainage of storm water. The meeting expressed concern over the shortage of matured Phasi, Asan and Dhaura logs of wood for construction of chariots. A team would visit the various Jagannath Bana Prakalpas and file a status report to the administration about the present status of the projects, which were undertaken by the Forest Department decades ago to meet the needs of timber. Puri Superintendent of Police Sarthak Sarangi expressed concern over encroachments by traders along the Badadanda. The meeting asked the municipal authorities to remove all encroachers.
