Puri Rath Yatra 2026: Authorities finalise crowd management plan
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has intensified preparations for the Rath Yatra of Mahaprabhu Jagannath, with comprehensive arrangements for security, healthcare, transportation, sanitation and crowd management finalized during the second Coordination Committee Meeting held at the Town Hall in Puri .
Chairing the meeting, Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan appealed to all stakeholders to work together to ensure the smooth and peaceful conduct of the annual festival, which attracts millions of devotees from across India and abroad.
One of the key highlights of the meeting was the elaborate security arrangement planned for the festival. Authorities have decided to deploy 220 platoons of police force, comprising nearly 10,000 personnel, across Puri during the Rath Yatra period.
To strengthen surveillance and crowd monitoring, 475 CCTV cameras will be installed at strategic locations throughout the city. Officials informed that more than 160 cameras have already been installed, while police sources stated that approximately 200 cameras have completed testing. Dedicated control rooms will function from Town Police Station and Bagadia Dharamshala to monitor live feeds.
Special police and rescue teams will be deployed at the sea beach and Panchatirtha water bodies to ensure the safety of pilgrims. Additionally, 28 evacuation points will be established to facilitate the swift rescue of devotees in the event of overcrowding or emergency situations.
Authorities also plan to launch a dedicated chatbot application and help desks to provide real-time information and assistance to pilgrims.
Recognising the enormous influx of devotees, the Health Department has prepared a comprehensive medical response plan.
A total of 230 MBBS doctors and 66 specialist doctors will be deployed during the festival. The specialist team will include cardiologists, plastic surgeons and neurosurgeons to handle medical emergencies. Supporting them will be 200 nursing officers and 100 paramedical staff.
Thirty First Aid Centres will operate across Puri, including 11 centres along the Grand Road (Bada Danda), which will function round-the-clock during the festival. Eight temporary medical centres will also be established across the city.
At the District Headquarters Hospital, a newly developed 150-bed facility will become operational before Rath Yatra. The hospital will include medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, intensive care units, burns wards and four operation theatres. The facility will have 10 ICU beds, 10 trauma beds and a fully functional burns ward.
In addition, 80 beds will be made available at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), while an extra 200 beds will be arranged to meet emergency requirements. Community Health Centres will also increase their bed capacity, with each centre equipped with two air-conditioned beds to manage heatstroke cases.
A total of 46 ambulances will remain on standby, supported by dedicated green corridors to ensure unhindered movement of emergency vehicles.
With an estimated 1.5 million devotees expected to visit Puri during the festival, railway authorities have prepared extensive transportation arrangements.
A total of 370 special trains will operate during the Rath Yatra period, in addition to over 1,200 regular and local train services. Railway stations will provide accommodation and rest facilities for approximately 25,000 passengers.
To enhance passenger convenience, authorities will set up 35 additional ticket counters, 30 mobile ticket counters and 12 Automatic Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs). For the first time, five railway ticket counters will be opened within the city to reduce congestion at the station.
Railway security arrangements include deployment of 800 Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, 1,500 Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel and 100 Civil Defence volunteers. Around 250 CCTV cameras will also be installed in and around the railway station premises.
Bus services between Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack will be significantly increased to handle the anticipated rush of pilgrims.
Given the large number of pilgrims who visit the beach during the festival, authorities have decided to deploy an additional 350 lifeguards along the coastline.
Temporary fire stations will be established at six strategic locations, including the railway station, beach area and bus stand. Special emergency response teams will remain stationed along Pipili Road and Marine Drive to respond swiftly to accidents and emergencies.
Rescue personnel equipped with stretchers, oxygen cylinders and other emergency equipment will remain on standby at key locations throughout the city.
To address the surge in vehicular traffic, 23 temporary parking facilities are being developed across Puri. The Roads and Buildings Department is preparing nine parking locations, while the remaining facilities are being developed by the Puri Municipal Corporation (PMC). All parking sites are expected to become operational by July 5.
PMC Commissioner Sneha Arugula informed the meeting that all open and potentially hazardous drains across the city would be covered with slabs before the festival. High-capacity water pumps will also be deployed at identified waterlogging-prone locations.
The civic body plans to install 1,300 temporary toilets during Rath Yatra, compared to 300 during Snana Purnima. Additional lighting arrangements will be completed at 69 vulnerable locations across the city by July 10 to ensure public safety during nighttime.
The administration will also intensify efforts to relocate stray cattle to designated shelters before the festival.
To facilitate traffic management and provide information to pilgrims, LED display boards and public announcement systems will be installed at 65 locations across the city.
The Energy Department has been directed to ensure uninterrupted power supply throughout the festival period. Special emphasis has been placed on maintaining illuminated LED street lighting across Puri to improve visibility and safety for devotees.
A significant announcement made during the meeting was the introduction of a special Aadhaar-based darshan facility for residents of Puri town.
Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan stated that the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) is developing a dedicated mechanism to facilitate convenient access to the Shree Jagannath Temple for local residents during Rath Yatra.
The proposed system will be based on the two postal PIN code zones covering Puri municipality. Eligible residents will be allowed entry upon producing Aadhaar cards as proof of identity and residence.
The minister clarified that the facility will be strictly limited to local residents and will not permit accompanying relatives, friends or visitors to avail of the same privilege. The initiative aims to ensure that residents of Puri can have darshan of Mahaprabhu Jagannath despite the massive influx of pilgrims during the festival.
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee informed the second Rath Yatra Coordination Committee meeting that the construction of the three ceremonial chariots is in its final stage and progressing according to schedule. He also briefed the gathering on the temple rituals, traditional practices, and various arrangements being made for the smooth conduct of the annual festival.
With extensive preparations underway, the Odisha Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a safe, seamless, and spiritually fulfilling Rath Yatra for the millions of devotees expected to visit Puri from across the country and abroad. The administration has put in place comprehensive plans covering security, healthcare, transportation, crowd management, sanitation, and emergency response.
Several ministers, elected representatives, temple officials, servitors, and senior government officers participated in the meeting. Those present included Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, Rural Development Minister Rabinarayan Naik, Culture Minister Suryabanshi Suraj, Rajya Sabha MP Subhasish Khuntia, Satyabadi MLA Om Prakash Mishra, Pipili MLA Ashrit Pattanayak, Kakatpur MLA Tusharkanti Behera, Puri MLA Sunil Kumar Mohanty, Brahmagiri MLA Upasana Mohapatra, and Zilla Parishad Chairperson Swapnarani Paik.
Puri District Collector Divyajyoti Parida delivered the vote of thanks. The meeting was also attended by senior officials, including ADG (Modernisation) Soumendra Priyadarshi, Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, Fire Services IG Umashankar Dash, Puri SP Prateek Singh, members of the temple management committee, and sevayats of Shree Jagannath Temple.
