Puri: Around 12 to 15 lakh devotees are likely to visit Puri for Rath Yatra if the annual event is held with public participation after a gap of two years, said Puri Collector Samarth Verma after a preparatory meeting on Thursday.
“People will be allowed to have darshan of the deities during the nine-day festival if the COVID situation remains stable. However, the festival will be held sans devotees like the previous two years, if the infection rises in the coming days,” he said.
Verma said that they are expecting 1.5 to 2 times more devotees compared to previous years. “Keeping the expected rush in view, all line departments have been instructed to make arrangements accordingly for Snana Purnima and Rath Yatra,” he said.
As the first step towards achieving the goal, a few days back the departments concerned were asked to prepare an action plan which they presented at the meeting. After a brief review, temple servitors, officials, police and other line departments suggested some modifications to the action plan, he added.
Other meetings with the line departments as well as senior officers have been lined up to streamline all the processes leading to Rath Yatra.
