RailEnquiry

PURI: The Bhubaneswar-Puri NH-203 stretch from Uttara square to Pipili would be made functional by Rath Yatra. This was announced at the first high-level coordination meeting on Saturday for the Rath Yatra on June 21. Provisions for construction of the three chariots, power, drinking water, health, hygiene, passenger transport, security arrangements and repair and renovation of roads for smooth conduct of the fete were discussed. Officials attending the meeting expressed concern at the large-scale vacant posts of doctor and specialist in the district headquarters hospital and directed for filling up of the posts at the earliest. The local civic body would carry out massive cleaning operation. Work for fixing new pipelines for drainage will be completed by May-end. Close circuit cameras would be installed along the Grand Road and beach besides the railway station to monitor the crowd. The officials called for a status report from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) over the condition of the temple before the Car Festival.  There will be around 143 special trains to Puri during the fete, while 35 additional ticket booking counters would be opened at the Puri railway station, the ECoR authorities said. This apart, 100 special permits would be granted to passenger buses by the Transport Department. DIG DS Kuttey said 100 platoons of armed police personnel would be deployed in and around Puri for the fete.  Revenue Divisional Commissioner PK Mohapatra, District Magistrate Arabind Agarwal, chairperson of the local civic body Santilata Pradhan, Panchayati Raj Minister Maheswar Mohanty, SP Anup Kumar Sahoo, engineers and temple servitors attended the meeting.