The district administration of Puri on Thursday sealed a building of the Akshaya Patra Foundation located along the Grand Road for alleged violation of restrictions enforced during the Rath Yatra on July 12. Some ISKCON devotees allegedly watched the Rath Yatra on the rooftop of the building which was banned by the administration.
“The foundation had accommodated devotees from outside Odisha in violation of prohibitory order passed by the administration during Gundicha Yatra. A team verified the video footage of the incident and found the allegations true. We are also verifying other allegations and taking action accordingly,” said Puri Sub-Collector Bhabataran Sahu.
A lodge was sealed by the administration on Wednesday for a similar offence. Notably, there are more than 231 residential buildings, hotels and lodges on both sides of the Grand Road.
The district administration had asked the hoteliers not to book any rooms two days before the Rath Yatra, to ensure that there was no congregation on the rooftops on the route of the chariots