With the New Year round the corner, Puri is witnessing a steady surge in the number of devotees, with long queues forming for darshan of the sibling deities at the Srimandir. In view of the increasing footfall, the district administration has put barricades in place from Srinar to Bagala Dharamshala and rolled out extensive security and crowd management measures.
Officials expect a significantly heavier rush on December 31 and January 1. To regulate the crowd, a single-queue system will be implemented for darshan inside the temple on both days. Devotees will be allowed entry into the Srimandir only through the Singhadwara, while exits will be facilitated through the remaining three gates to ensure smooth movement and prevent congestion.
Security arrangements have been strengthened from the Srimandir up to the sea beach, with 25 platoons of police deployed to maintain law and order and manage traffic.
Former Odisha Police officer Amaresh Panda said the year-end period consistently draws massive crowds to Puri.
“Every year on December 31 and New Year’s Day, Puri witnesses a huge influx of devotees. Lakhs of people throng the town to have darshan of the sibling deities and pray for a good year ahead,” he said.
Explaining the security preparations, Panda added, “Police deployment is generally divided into two key responsibilities, maintaining law and order and managing traffic. With lakhs of devotees travelling to Puri, traffic congestion is inevitable. Keeping this in mind, the local administration makes arrangements for vehicle parking at designated locations, from where devotees are transported to Bada Danda using smaller vehicles. The 25 platoons of police force, along with senior officers, will oversee both law and order and traffic management.”
Devotees were seen queuing from Bagala Dharamshala to Singhadwara on Tuesday. However, officials clarified that on December 31 and January 1, entry will be strictly restricted to Singhadwara, with exits through the other three gates.
While Bhitara Katha darshan is currently being allowed, only Bahara Katha darshan will be permitted on the two peak days to streamline crowd movement and avoid bottlenecks.
A Srimandir servitor stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between darshan and temple rituals.
“Along with darshan of the sibling deities, it is equally important to ensure the smooth conduct of all rituals. Timely performance of rituals must be maintained even amid heavy crowds,” the servitor said.
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