Seamless Puri Pilgrimage: Special Arrangements for New Year Revelry

The Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri has implemented special arrangements for New Year, coordinating entry and exit to manage the influx of devotees. Authorities have deployed additional security personnel and set up barricades to ensure orderly movement. Despite these measures, some attendees experienced overcrowding-related issues.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and police are pulling out all the stops to manage the influx of devotees and tourists to Puri for New Year celebrations. Special arrangements, including designated entry and exit points, have been put in place to ensure smooth movement.

The SJTA announced that darshan at the 12th-century shrine will be allowed exclusively via the Singhadwar or Lion's gate. Exit will occur through other gates, with exceptions made for servitors and their families. The administration requests cooperation to facilitate an orderly experience for devotees of Lord Jagannath.

Security measures include the deployment of 60 platoons for crowd management, supplemented by additional officers and anti-snatching teams. Despite these precautions, some incidents of breathlessness were reported among attendees, highlighting the challenges of crowd control during such large-scale events.

(With inputs from agencies.)