Thousands of devotees who are expected to attend the Rath Yatra festival, originating from the newly constructed Jagannath Dham temple, in Digha, in Purba Medinipur district, on Friday, will have to stand behind the barricades along the one kilometre procession route and would not be allowed to spill onto the streets to pull the ropes of the chariots, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday.
CM Banerjee, who reached Digha on Wednesday to oversee the celebration preparations, chaired a high-level preparatory meeting on Thursday with the Jagannath Temple Trust Committee, Digha Sankarpur Development Authority (DSDA) officials, police, and ISKCON members to finalise the security and management arrangements for the grand procession.
“We cannot allow people to descend on the streets to pull the raths, as there could be chaos. But they will have the opportunity to touch those ropes from behind the barricades,” Mamata Banerjee said.
She inspected the chariot dimensions and the one km yatra route from Gate No. 7 to Gate No. 3 where the chariot will move ensuring smooth passage for the chariots and crowd control.
She was accompanied by state ministers Arup Biswas, Indranil Sen, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Sujit Bose, and Snehashis Chakraborty, and the vice-chairman of West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (WBHIDCO).
“Follow this route. Everything has to be smooth and helpful for the people,” CM Banerjee told Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar.
While the ceremonial rituals at the temple would begin from 9 am, the chariot procession is scheduled to start at 2.30 pm, the officials said. The chariots would take nearly two hours to reach their destination, around a kilometre away, for the benefit of the pilgrims who would be gathered in large numbers to catch a glimpse and participate in the spectacle, they added.
ISKCON vice-president Radharamn Das said around 30 lakh people have already visited the temple since its inauguration on April 30, and lakhs are expected to turn up on Rath Yatra day.
The chief minister will take part in pulling the ropes of the chariot on June 27, Das said.
Banerjee told media persons that the three chariots would be taken out at 2:30 pm on Friday, and the entire journey would be over by 4 pm.
“Pujas will take place from this evening, and preparations for pulling the chariots will begin from 8:30 am tomorrow,” she said.
Addressing a brief press conference after the inspection, Chief Minister Banerjee not only reviewed Rath Yatra preparations but also voiced objections to the Election Commission’s ‘declaration form’ as well as the ongoing Digha-Puri controversy surrounding the its name.
Ever since its inauguration, the Digha Jagannath Dham temple, has become a point of contention with the Odisha government. CM Mohan Charan Majhi previously wrote to Banerjee, requesting the temple not be referred to as ‘Jagannath Dham’, citing that the term is closely associated with Puri and its usage elsewhere might confuse devotees and dilute Puri’s heritage.
Responding to this long-standing dispute, Mamata Banerjee firmly stated, “I like Odisha, many people from Odisha are interested in the Jagannath temple in Digha. I respect the Jagannath temple in Puri, you should also respect the temple in Digha.” — WITH PTI