Cuttack: After cancelling ‘Bada Osa’ festival or Dhabaleswar Jatra, the Cuttack administration on Wednesday said that devotees will be allowed to have darshan of the deity virtually on an LED screen near the suspension bridge over the Mahanadi, connecting the shrine in Odisha’s Athagarh.
Cuttack Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani informed that Gaja Bhoga and other prasads will also be made available near the hanging bridge.
Notably, devotees have been barred from visiting Dhabaleswar temple amid concerns regarding the safety of the 254-metre suspension bridge after the Morbi bridge tragedy in Gujarat. Khurda SP Siddharth Kataria, who is also in charge Cuttack SP, on Tuesday informed that Dhabaleswar Jatra had been cancelled in view of imposition of prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC at the temple.
The bridge was also closed for public use after detection of cracks by an expert team. Chayani had said that the bridge will be thoroughly inspected for safety and a detailed safety protocol will be in place before it is reopened just to be doubly sure that nothing goes wrong ahead of the upcoming “Panchuka,” the last five holy days of Kartika month from November 4.
The administration had also decided to cap the pedestrian movement on the bridge over Mahanadi, constructed in 2006 and has the capacity to carry 600 people at a time, at 200.
The 10th-century shrine sees a daily footfall of more than 60,000 people. Major rituals are held in the Hindu holy month of Kartik and attract a large number of devotees.
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