Puri: Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to the sevayats, police, district and the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) for the smooth and hassle-free Rath Yatra in Puri.
Stating that the Rath Yatra this year was conducted under the extraordinary circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said as the Supreme Court has asked the state government to keep the detailed records of the sevayats who had participated in the festival, the temple administration will prepare a list of those sevayats which will be submitted to the apex court.
The Chief Secretary said around 2,000 sevayats who participated in the Rath Yatra had tested negative for COVID-19.
Earlier in the day, he had urged the sevayats and the policemen not to pull the chariots if they had not undergone the COVID test.
