‘Smooth darshan on New Year’: 5L seek blessings at Puri temple | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: All roads led to Puri on Wednesday as over 5 lakh devotees started the New Year by offering prayers at the Jagannath Temple, with most visitors claiming the arrangements were hassle-free.
Police sources said the darshan system was smooth, barring a stray incident when hundreds of devotees waiting in the queue pushed barricades installed in front of the shrine, triggering safety concerns.
Keeping in mind the huge rush, the temple opened around 1 am on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. The crowd was so large that the queue extended up to 2 km from the temple on the Grand Road.
“An analysis of the AI cameras indicated that an estimated 5 lakh devotees offered prayers on New Year’s Day by evening. Police personnel executed the standard operating procedure (SOP) properly and ensured a hassle-free darshan for devotees. By the blessings of the deities, no untoward incident was reported,” Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said.
He said all arrangements made by the police were devotee-oriented. “Devotee facilitation for darshan, their safety and convenience, and crowd control were our focus areas. We remained visible in and outside the temple 24×7 to ensure that devotees did not face any trouble. We received excellent feedback from tourists from across the country,” the SP said.
Police officers said special focus was laid on helping elderly and differently-abled pilgrims at the temple. A separate queue was made for them while adequate private volunteers were engaged to assist devotees in hassle-free movement.
Sabarna Pal, a tourist from Kolkata, said unlike her past visits to Puri, the one on Wednesday was different. “I thank the Odisha govt and Puri police for making such nice arrangements for devotees. Though we queued up for around 1 hour, it was worth the wait,” Pal said.
Sources said senior officers of police and law department were closely monitoring the arrangements at the temple. Over 60 platoons of police forces were deployed for safety, crowd control and traffic regulations in Puri on Wednesday. Special attention was accorded to the smooth movement of devotees inside the shrine. Cops in plain clothes were deployed to curb snatching and thefts.
“We deployed adequate lifeguards on the beach to prevent drowning,” SP Agrawal said.
Bhubaneswar: All roads led to Puri on Wednesday as over 5 lakh devotees started the New Year by offering prayers at the Jagannath Temple, with most visitors claiming the arrangements were hassle-free.
Police sources said the darshan system was smooth, barring a stray incident when hundreds of devotees waiting in the queue pushed barricades installed in front of the shrine, triggering safety concerns.
Keeping in mind the huge rush, the temple opened around 1 am on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. The crowd was so large that the queue extended up to 2 km from the temple on the Grand Road.
“An analysis of the AI cameras indicated that an estimated 5 lakh devotees offered prayers on New Year’s Day by evening. Police personnel executed the standard operating procedure (SOP) properly and ensured a hassle-free darshan for devotees. By the blessings of the deities, no untoward incident was reported,” Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said.
He said all arrangements made by the police were devotee-oriented. “Devotee facilitation for darshan, their safety and convenience, and crowd control were our focus areas. We remained visible in and outside the temple 24×7 to ensure that devotees did not face any trouble. We received excellent feedback from tourists from across the country,” the SP said.
Police officers said special focus was laid on helping elderly and differently-abled pilgrims at the temple. A separate queue was made for them while adequate private volunteers were engaged to assist devotees in hassle-free movement.
Sabarna Pal, a tourist from Kolkata, said unlike her past visits to Puri, the one on Wednesday was different. “I thank the Odisha govt and Puri police for making such nice arrangements for devotees. Though we queued up for around 1 hour, it was worth the wait,” Pal said.
Sources said senior officers of police and law department were closely monitoring the arrangements at the temple. Over 60 platoons of police forces were deployed for safety, crowd control and traffic regulations in Puri on Wednesday. Special attention was accorded to the smooth movement of devotees inside the shrine. Cops in plain clothes were deployed to curb snatching and thefts.
“We deployed adequate lifeguards on the beach to prevent drowning,” SP Agrawal said.
Police sources said the darshan system was smooth, barring a stray incident when hundreds of devotees waiting in the queue pushed barricades installed in front of the shrine, triggering safety concerns.
Keeping in mind the huge rush, the temple opened around 1 am on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. The crowd was so large that the queue extended up to 2 km from the temple on the Grand Road.
“An analysis of the AI cameras indicated that an estimated 5 lakh devotees offered prayers on New Year’s Day by evening. Police personnel executed the standard operating procedure (SOP) properly and ensured a hassle-free darshan for devotees. By the blessings of the deities, no untoward incident was reported,” Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said.
He said all arrangements made by the police were devotee-oriented. “Devotee facilitation for darshan, their safety and convenience, and crowd control were our focus areas. We remained visible in and outside the temple 24×7 to ensure that devotees did not face any trouble. We received excellent feedback from tourists from across the country,” the SP said.
Police officers said special focus was laid on helping elderly and differently-abled pilgrims at the temple. A separate queue was made for them while adequate private volunteers were engaged to assist devotees in hassle-free movement.
Sabarna Pal, a tourist from Kolkata, said unlike her past visits to Puri, the one on Wednesday was different. “I thank the Odisha govt and Puri police for making such nice arrangements for devotees. Though we queued up for around 1 hour, it was worth the wait,” Pal said.
Sources said senior officers of police and law department were closely monitoring the arrangements at the temple. Over 60 platoons of police forces were deployed for safety, crowd control and traffic regulations in Puri on Wednesday. Special attention was accorded to the smooth movement of devotees inside the shrine. Cops in plain clothes were deployed to curb snatching and thefts.
“We deployed adequate lifeguards on the beach to prevent drowning,” SP Agrawal said.
Bhubaneswar: All roads led to Puri on Wednesday as over 5 lakh devotees started the New Year by offering prayers at the Jagannath Temple, with most visitors claiming the arrangements were hassle-free.
Police sources said the darshan system was smooth, barring a stray incident when hundreds of devotees waiting in the queue pushed barricades installed in front of the shrine, triggering safety concerns.
Keeping in mind the huge rush, the temple opened around 1 am on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. The crowd was so large that the queue extended up to 2 km from the temple on the Grand Road.
“An analysis of the AI cameras indicated that an estimated 5 lakh devotees offered prayers on New Year’s Day by evening. Police personnel executed the standard operating procedure (SOP) properly and ensured a hassle-free darshan for devotees. By the blessings of the deities, no untoward incident was reported,” Puri SP Vinit Agrawal said.
He said all arrangements made by the police were devotee-oriented. “Devotee facilitation for darshan, their safety and convenience, and crowd control were our focus areas. We remained visible in and outside the temple 24×7 to ensure that devotees did not face any trouble. We received excellent feedback from tourists from across the country,” the SP said.
Police officers said special focus was laid on helping elderly and differently-abled pilgrims at the temple. A separate queue was made for them while adequate private volunteers were engaged to assist devotees in hassle-free movement.
Sabarna Pal, a tourist from Kolkata, said unlike her past visits to Puri, the one on Wednesday was different. “I thank the Odisha govt and Puri police for making such nice arrangements for devotees. Though we queued up for around 1 hour, it was worth the wait,” Pal said.
Sources said senior officers of police and law department were closely monitoring the arrangements at the temple. Over 60 platoons of police forces were deployed for safety, crowd control and traffic regulations in Puri on Wednesday. Special attention was accorded to the smooth movement of devotees inside the shrine. Cops in plain clothes were deployed to curb snatching and thefts.
“We deployed adequate lifeguards on the beach to prevent drowning,” SP Agrawal said.
