Devotees have been restricted to visit the Dhabaleswar temple at Athagarh amid concern regarding the safety of the suspension bridge over the Mahanadi connecting the shrine.
Informing this, Khordha SP Siddharth Kataria, who is also in charge of Cuttack SP, said this year’s Dhabaleswar Yatra has been cancelled in view of the imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC at the temple.
In the wake of Morbi bridge tragedy in Gujarat, the Cuttack district administration has imposed the restrictions ahead of the Bada Osha and Kartik Purnima festivals.
The Dhabaleswar temple draws thousands of devotees during the holy month of Kartik. Devotees reach the temple either by boats or through the suspension bridge, which was constructed in 2006. The bridge has been closed for public use after detection of cracks by an experts’ team. Repair work will be undertaken by the administration soon.