Even as the construction of chariots of the lords are in full swing for the annual Rath Yatra, members of the chariot construction engineering committee on Saturday noticed defects in the wheels of Devi Subhadra’s chariot Devadalan and lord Balabhadra’s chariot Taladhawaja.
Executive Engineer Asish Subudhi, who is in-charge of inspection of the chariots’ construction, said cracks were spotted in the spokes of the wheels of Devadalan while the axle of Taladhawaja was found to be weak.
Subudhi said both the wheels of the chariots would be replaced with new ones to prevent any kind of unforeseen incident during the Rath Yatra.
The inspection by the chariot construction engineering committee has triggered resentment among the Maharana servitors. They said if there are any flaws in the construction, they would have repaired it.
Besides, the chief Maharana servitors of three chariots have resigned from the chariot construction committee demanding a hike in their remuneration.
However, a temple administration official said the Chief Temple Administrator was out of the State. After he returns, he would decide about the hike in the remuneration demanded by the Maharanas.
It might be mentioned that before the last year’s Rath Yatra, the axle of Devi Subhadra’s chariot had broken and was replaced by the Moharana servitors within hours.