Safety most important during Digha rath: CM

Kolkata: The safety and security of people arriving in Digha for the Rath Yatra should be of paramount importance, chief minister
said at a meeting on the marquee event scheduled for June 27.
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To prevent a stampede-like situation, it has been decided that devotees will be allowed to touch the rope but not pull the Rath.
Additionally, the timing of the Yatra will be determined on the day of the Rath according to the situation.
At the hour-and-a-half-long meeting, which began on a sombre note with prayers for those killed in the flight crash in Ahmedabad, the CM stressed the need to ensure that no accident occurs in Digha during the Rath Yatra.
With an estimated two lakh people expected to attend the event, Banerjee and the district administration are wary about the crowd converging on the narrow road for the Rath Yatra.
A large number of policemen and volunteers will be deployed to control the crowd. The administration has been asked to channel the crowd into the temple for darshan of the stone idols of Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra before the devotees visit the raths, touch the rope, and move on.
The Jagannath temple has a holding capacity of 80,000 to 1 lakh people.
Unlike Kolkata, where the Iskcon Rath traverses 7 km from Albert Road to the Maidan, the distance between the temple and Mashir Bari, where the Rath will reside for seven days, is less than a kilometre away. Hence, there is concern that there may be overcrowding on the stretch. "There is another concern. Unlike the raths in Kolkata that have steering and brake, the raths in Digha are traditional ones like Puri.
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Hence, they will roll at a very slow pace,.
But still, it will not take more than an hour to cover the short distance," said Iskcon Kolkata vice-president Radharamn Das.
The decision on when to allow the actual Rath Yatra has been left to the police. The green signal for the Rath Yatra to begin will be given only when the crowd is manageable. Only volunteers will be allowed to pull the chariot.
The CM will be present in Digha during the Rath Yatra and will present a golden broom to clean the chariot's path. She is expected to reach Digha on the eve of the event. Vehicle movement in the seaside town will be restricted from that day.

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