The District Administration held a preparatory meeting for the Car festival of lord Baladevjew at the Tulashi Kshetra on Thursday.
The meeting was organised under the chairmanship of District Collector Niranjan Nayak, in which Kendrpada SP Sarthak Sarangi, Sub collector Pratap Kumar Mishra, SDPO Nrusingha Charan Swain, senior officials, Kendrapada municipality chairman Dhiren Kumar Sahu, intellectual masses, members of Baladevjew temple endowment committee and temple servitors attended.
According to the servitors, every year the chariot construction work of the 65 -foot high ‘Brahma Taladhwaj’ of the Baladevjew temple starts on the auspicious day of Akshya Tritiya as per the tradition.
But uncertainty loomed large over the construction of two wooden wheels as the Sal timbers were yet to reach. As a result, the sebayats and the temple endowment committee members of the Baladevjew temple showed their resentment.
District Collector Niranjan Nayak informed that the district administration was in touch with the senior officials of the Forest department to provide them Sal wood. Within a week, the Sal timber would arrive at the district, he assured.
The Sebayats demanded provisions of uninterrupted electricity and water during the 9-day festival, besides repair works on the main road, where the car rolls on. The District Collector directed all the senior officials of the line departments to ensure hassle-free services during car festival. CESCO was asked to provide non-stop power supply, whereas PHED was told to supply water without glitches. The Collector directed the R&B department to conduct repair works of the town main road within 15 days and also asked the local tehsildar to make the rath danda encroachment free.
SP Sarangi disclosed that his time the number of Sevayats riding the chariot would be restricted, while tight police arrangements would be made to ensure that the festival goes incident-free.
Sources said the temple endowment committee has decided to spend an estimated Rs 12.1 lakh for the Rath Yatra this year, while it was pegged at Rs 9.91 lakh last year.