Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday inaugurated the much-awaited Shreemandir Parikrama Prakalpa (Corridor Project) in this pilgrim town of Puri.
The inauguration was held in the presence of Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb after conclusion of three days of yajna rituals. Moments before the inauguration, Deb greeted the Chief Minister upon the latter’s arrival and welcomed Patnaik to the inauguration site.
Both the Chief Minister and the Gajapati Maharaja walked on the Paikrama corridor.
Thousands of devotees thronged Puri to witness the event. As many as 80 platoons of police force were deployed here to provide security to the VIPs and devotees, maintain law and order, and manage traffic during the mega event.
The administration installed around 500 CCTV cameras across the coastal town as part of foolproof security arrangements for the inaugural ceremony. The State Government has spent around Rs 800 crore for implementing the project which is a 75-meter heritage corridor around the temple. The purpose of the project is to provide expansive and unobstructed corridors around the Meghanada Pacheri for giving the devotees a clear visual access of the Shreemandir, Meghanada Pacheri and Neelchakra. The project will also provide other amenities to the visitors.
