"Time has come to give Puri a facelift": Odisha Minister Suresh Pujari on Rath Yatra crowd management

Puri (Odisha) [India], July 5 (ANI): As the Bahuda Yatra began in Puri on Sunday, Odisha Minister Suresh Pujari said the state government has mobilised every department to manage the swelling crowds.
Bahuda Yatra -- the return leg of the annual car festival -- marks the journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra from the Shri Gundicha Temple to Jagannath Temple.
Pujari noted that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has approved the up-gradation of Puri Municipality into a Municipal Corporation, which he said will allow wider roads, smoother traffic flow and better civic amenities ahead of future Rath Yatras.
"You can see the preparation made by the Government. Having said that, this is not only the responsibility of the Government. Simultaneously, you see all the departments of government are on the job...From Rath Yatra to Bahuda Yatra, one has to learn and prepare for better arrangements. I think the time has come, taking into account the swelling of the crowd, the CM has declared Puri a Municipal Corporation. After it is converted into a corporation, I think the arrangement in future will be far better than the arrangement made in previous years. The city will be given a new look with wider route and better traffic control," Pujari told ANI.
Pujari said that due to the growing crowd and narrow roads in Puri, it is time to give the city a major upgrade. He stressed the need for better facilities to ensure a more comfortable experience for devotees attending the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath.
"Because of the swelling crowd and the space available, the crowd in Rath Yatra is disproportionately higher in number, taking into account the size of the road in Puri. So, the time has come to give Puri a new facelift and to have a comfortable Rath Yatra, particularly the comfort of the people who used to come here to watch the Rath Yatra of Mahaprabhu Jagannath," he added.
He further added that they are hopeful that in the future, the entire Puri town will undergo a facelift to host a Rath Yatra with better facilities, amenities, a better route, and improved traffic control.
"By the grace of Mahaprabhu Jagannath, everything is going on smoothly. In future, we will prepare new roadmap to ensure that for every year's increasing attendance of the devotees, new arrangement has to be worked out so that Rath Yatra is enjoyed by everyone coming from far away. We are very hopeful that in future the entire Puri town will be given a facelift to have a Rath Yatra with better facilities, better amenities, better route and better traffic control," Pujari said. (ANI)