Puri: The Odisha Government has intensified security and safety preparations for the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, with a special emphasis on ensuring “Zero Casualty” during the world-famous festival.
Ahead of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s scheduled review of Rath Yatra arrangements in Puri, Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania on Friday chaired a high-level security review meeting at the office of the Puri Superintendent of Police.
The meeting assessed the overall law and order situation, crowd management strategy, traffic regulation, and security measures for the festival, which draws lakhs of devotees from across India and abroad.
Addressing the media after the meeting, the DGP said more than 12,000 police personnel would be deployed during the Rath Yatra. The security arrangement will include over 200 platoons of police, personnel from the Rapid Action Force (RAF), National Security Guard (NSG), specialised security units, and Home Guards positioned at key locations across the pilgrim town.
Khurania appealed to devotees and the public to cooperate with the administration and strictly adhere to the traffic advisory issued by the police to facilitate smooth movement and effective crowd management.
Expressing confidence in the elaborate security arrangements, the DGP said coordinated efforts by all departments and public cooperation would help ensure the Rath Yatra is conducted peacefully, orderly, and without any untoward incidents.
The review meeting was attended by Additional DGPs R.P. Koche, Soumendra Priyadarshi, Arun Bothra, Sanjay Kumar, Amitabh Thakur, and Rajesh Kumar, along with the Central Range Inspector General of Police and other senior police officers.
