Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government has decided to impose similar restrictions like last year during the Rath Yatra this year, which is to be celebrated on July 12, informed Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Kumar Jena on Thursday.
Addressing mediapersons, Jena said that the Supreme Court had last year allowed holding Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings in the city of Puri and not anywhere else in Odisha.
The apex court had insisted that only selective servitors and police officials will be allowed to pull the chariots of the holy siblings. Each chariot shall be pulled by not more than 500 persons only if they have tested negative for Covid-19.
Similarly this year, the Government has decided to observe the Rath Yatra in the pilgrim town of Puri only sans devotees. Servitors and police officials who are fully vaccinated or who have tested Covid-19 Negative in RT-PCR test can only participate in the Rath Yatra.