Bhubaneswar: Following the landfall of Cyclone Dana, the Puri district administration on Friday withdrew the advisory for tourists, cautioning them against visiting Shree Jagannath Temple in the pilgrim town.
“Puri received 283 mm rainfall, with the highest of 39 mm in Krushnaprasad. Initial assessment by BDO and executive officers suggests no damage to public property due to the cyclone, which has now weakened. It has also stopped raining in Puri town and the situation is normal which is why the advisory for tourists have been withdrawn. I would request them to visit the pilgrim town for darshan of the sibling deities,” Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain told the media.
He further stated that people can visit the beaches but advised them against entering the sea as it continues to be rough. “Fire Service personnel and life guards are deployed at the beaches and I would request visitors to abide by their instructions,” Swain said.
He also urged the tourists to take necessary precaution in view of the continuing yellow warning of heavy rain for Puri.
The trips of Habisiyalis, elderly women observing Karita Brata, to Jagannath Temple will be resumed from Saturday, he added.
The Collector said that the Sun Temple in Konark will also be reopened for tourists. “We have requested the ASI to reopen the tourist site as it had earlier announced its closure till October 25,” he said.
Popular tourists sites like Sun Temple at Konark as well as the beaches in Puri, Konark and Jagatsinghpur districts remained out of bounds for tourists as Dana made landfall close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamra along Odisha coast in the early hours of Friday.
