Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will attend Jagannath Rath Yatra on Wednesday in Ahmedabad. After Jagannath Puri in Odisha, Ahmedabad’s Rath Yatra is considered second biggest.
Modi will also perform Pahind ritual in the morning and he will be the first person to pull the rath for a while. Traditionally, whoever is the Gujarat Chief Minister performs Pahind ritual every year. Being the longest serving Chief Minister in the history of Gujarat, Modi will perform the ritual for the 11th time on the Ashadhi Bij.
On the eve of the Rath Yatra, Modi offered prayer at Jagannath temple and attended arati. He also reviewed security arrangements of 136th Rath Yatra.
As the Rath Yatra procession passes through sensitive areas, coupled with recent bomb blast in Bihar, this time 15,000 cops are deployed to ensure safe festivities. Gujarat’s Home Secretary SK Nanda also visited temple complex on Tuesday to review security arrangement along with senior State police officials.
The city police have also carried out rehearsal on the route of the procession of lord Jagannath on Monday in order to familiarise forces from outside the city to local environment.
Apart from regular security arrangements, this year the Gujarat Police shall fly newly purchased UAVs to keep eye on the yatra from sky. A control room to receive pictures and video captured by the UAV has been set up at Circuit House in Shahibag area.
Increased land holding policy in Kutch
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced new policy for increased land holding for entire Kutch district, particularly for the farmers, with a view to simplify the age-old unscientific method based on estimates now in force and to remove inconsistencies.
Greeting the people of Kutch as a gift on the eve of Kutchi New Year Asadhi Bij, Modi said that Kutch district is one of the fastest growing districts in India in industrial development. With the new land policy, the district would hopefully flourish in agriculture too, he said.