Strong resentment is brewing among the devotees, servitors, Sadhus, intellectual masses and political activists over the district administration’s decision not to organise the annual Ratha Yatra (Car festival) of the Baladevjew temple. Collector Amrut Rituraj on Thursday strictly denied to organise the Car festival at the Baladevjew temple and also prohibited the Baladevjew Temple Endowment Trust Board from constructing the chariot.
The decision followed the State Government’s June 10 announcement that the annual Rath Yatra will not be organised anywhere in the State except in Puri due to the ongoing Covid pandemic. The local BJP unit led by district president Kishore Kumar Panda had staged demonstration in front of the district Collector’s office and at block level tehsil offices demanding conduct of the Rath Yatra in Kendrapada.
Earlier, several religious preachers and Sadhus of the district also had demanded before the Chief Minister by submitting a memorandum to the district Collector for allowing Rath Yatra of the Baldevjew whereas the district Congress too had reiterated the demand. Kendrapada MP Anubhav Mohanty had written a letter to the SRC for taking steps to direct the district administration for organising the Rath Yatra in Tulashi Khetra by issuing SoPs. He had assured the SRC of taking the responsibility personally for conducting the Rath Yatra smoothly. Even, the servitors of the Baladevjew temple had urged CM Naveen Patnaik to give green signal in this regard.