Odisha starts preparations for Puri Rath Yatra 7 months in advance after last year’s stampede

The Odisha government has started preparations for the Rath Yatra seven months in advance to ensure zero-error arrangements for the mega festival, which saw three deaths due to a stampede in 2025, officials said on Wednesday (January 14, 2026).

Chief Secretary Anu Garg chaired a preparatory meeting on Tuesday (January 13) evening and asked officials to learn from last year’s lapses and make preparations on how to avoid them in the next festival.

“I have urged all the departments to identify errors from the Rath Yatra of previous years and implement corrective measures. Seven months are left for the mega event, during which one can make error-free planning,” she told reporters.

The meeting was attended by DGP YB Khurania, DG of Fire Services Sudhansu Sarangi, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration’s Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee, Puri Collector Dibyajyoti Parida and Puri SP Prateek Singh, among others As per practice, the chief secretary holds a state-level preparatory meeting for the festival four months ahead of the event. This year, Rath Yatra will be held on July 16.

Asked why the meeting was held so early this time, she said, “We do not want to take any chance. Every department should start drawing up foolproof plans from now on.”

During the Rath Yatra festival last year, three people were killed, and several others were injured in a stampede. Besides, the delay in chariot pulling also caused resentment among the devotees.

A massive public outrage forced Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to apologise for the lapses.

An official said the focus of the meeting was mostly on crowd management, sanitation, water supply, infrastructure, security and traffic management.

“As the crowd swells every year during Rath Yatra, the perpetration should be augmented proportionally. We cannot repeat the same formula and the same yardstick for the management of a mega event like the Rath Yatra. It should be dynamic and accommodating,” he said.

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Last year, about 10 lakh people participated in the festival in the seaside town, he added.

The temple requires 865 logs for chariot-making every year. Since 47 logs have been in store from last year, the administration has started making arrangements for the remaining 818 logs, for which the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Nayagarh is working, a statement said.

Ms. Garg, who headed the inquiry into the 2025 stampede, has instructed the DGP to avoid excess crowding near the chariot during the procession.

Apart from this, it was decided not to allow free food distribution on the Grand Road, which causes crowding. Parking spaces for around 500 cars will be made available for smooth management of traffic, she said.