Odisha Plans Puri Rath Yatra On Maha Kumbh Crowd Control Lines With CCTVs At 343 Locations

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha planning plans to take a leaf out of crowd management strategies at Maha Kumbh for Rath Yatra scheduled for June 27 in Puri.

CCTVs will be installed at 343 major locations, including roads connecting to Puri, for real-time monitoring of traffic management, crowd control, crime prevention, and maintaining law and order during the annual festival of the Lords of the 12th-century shrine, according to reports.

A team from Odisha Police recently visited Prayagraj to study security protocols, crowd management, and crime prevention techniques.

The initial preparatory meeting on Tuesday discussed security arrangements and crowd control measures for the Rath Yatra when over 10 lakh devotees are expected to throng the Pilgrim Town, drawing parallels with Maha Kumbh practices.

Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja stressed the importance of extensive CCTV surveillance, highlighting that real-time monitoring and crowd management would be crucial for the festival’s success, the TOI reported, quoting his office.

The CCTVs will be installed at 32 spots along NH-316 between Uttara and Malatipatpur, 65 locations on the beach, 38 places on Grand Road, and 55 points within Puri’s lane, the report elaborated.

The meeting also discussed the infrastructure and technical requirements for CCTV installation.

While a committee will be formed to determine camera specifications, the Puri district administration has been asked to develop a joint standard operating procedure (SOP) along with the police for smooth conduct of the festival. An integrated command control centre (ICCC) will also be established for overseeing operations for Rath Yatra.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Satyabrata Sahu emphasized on interdepartmental coordination to ensure the smooth execution of events Director General of Police, Y.B. Khurania, highlighted the importance of early preparations, citing the increasing religious sentiments and expectations of a larger crowd than last year.

“Traffic management strategies, prevention of overcrowding, vehicle parking arrangements, VIP helipad facilities, police accommodation, systematic chariot pulling, barricading, coordination with district administration for issue resolution, and devotee amenities will be given priority,” Khurania said, adding that stringent measures will taken to prevent stampedes during the pulling of chariots.

The Puri District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police presented the steps taken for crowd control during the 2024 Rath Yatra and shared insights from past experiences

The meeting also addressed vehicle management and parking arrangements to facilitate better crowd movement and security.

Festival schedule

Devasnana Purnima – June 11

Gundicha Yatra (Rath Yatra) – June 27

Bahuda Yatra – July 5

Suna Besha – July 6

(With inputs from UNI)