Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was appraised of the final preparations for the July 10 Rath Yatra of Shree Jagannath, Shree Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra here on Saturday.
At the final preparatory meeting for the Rath Yatra, many shortcomings were brought to the notice of the Chief Minister. Committee members pointed out the large vacancies in the posts of doctors and specialists in the District Headquarters Hospital and periphery hospitals.
Health Minister Damodar Rout informed that 83 doctors, including 13 specialist, and 208 paramedical staffs would be posted within three days for the festival.
Puri Superintendent of Police Anup Kumar Sahu said 35 CCTV cameras would be installed along the Grand Road and in many other parts of the city to keep vigil on anti-socials moving among devotees. Anti-terrorist units would also be deployed during the festival. As many as 83 special trains would ply to Puri during the fete, informed railway officials.
Ministers Maheswar Mohanty, Debi Prasad Mishra, Arun Kumar Sahu and Subrat Tarai, local MP Pinaki Mishra, Development Commissioner Jugal Mohapatra, DGP Prakash Mishra, Special DGP Sanjiv Marik, RDC Arabinda Padhee and District Magistrate NK Nayak were also present at in the meeting. The temple servitors’ representatives and noted residents of the city too participated in the meeting. The Chief Minister inaugurated book Rooparekha containing preparations and programmes of the administration for the Rath Yatra.
Earlier, the Chief Minister on his arrival at the meeting hall was greeted with black flags by the young lawyers’ body of the city with Priyadarshan Pattnaik, Sarada Samal and Kaliprasad Nayak leading the agitation. They were protesting the CESU’s “arbitrary and illegal activities” and demanding scrapping of the “illegal” agreement with a private company by the CESU for collection of electricity bills. The police rounded up many activists and released them after Patnaik left the city.