BHUBANESWAR: Eight police kiosks have been set up to verify the identities of Puri town residents, who will be allowed to enter the Jagannath Temple, on Saturday after a gap of nine months. Though the 12th century shrine reopened for devotees on Wednesday, only servitors and their families were allowed to offer prayers till Friday.
DIG (central range) Ashish Singh and Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh finalised the security arrangements to ensure a hassle-free darshan for the local residents. A mock security drill was conducted where Ashish and Vishal spoke to the police personnel about their roles and responsibilities.
“At least 18 platoons of police force have been deployed to regulate the crowd outside the temple. We urge the devotees to cooperate with us in managing the darshan system smoothly in compliance with the standard operating procedure and Covid-19 guidelines,” the SP said.
Of the 32 wards under the Puri municipality, the residents of only seven will be allowed to enter the temple on Saturday. The residents of wards 6 and 9 have been given entry slips to offer prayers in the morning shift between 7.30am and 11.30am. The afternoon shift (12pm to 4pm) has been reserved for residents of wards 12 and 15. Devotees from wards 2, 3 and 11 will be allowed to enter the temple in the evening shift (4.30pm to 9pm).
The darshan facility for the people of 32 wards will continue till December 31. While the temple will remain closed on January 1 and 2, all devotees will be allowed in the shrine from January 3 onwards.
“The devotees will have to walk in queues, separated by barricades, from Market Square, about 1 km from the temple, till the police kiosks near the shrine. We will verify the entry slips that have been distributed among them. The visitors must carry their valid photo identity cards like Aadhaar and voter ID cards. Each devotee will be photographed at the kiosk,” the SP said.
After proper verification, the devotees will be allowed to enter the temple through the Singha Dwar (Lion’s Gate) and exit through Uttar Dwar (north gate). It is mandatory for the devotees to come wearing face masks. They can neither carry flowers or bhog inside the temple nor touch the stones, idols or other structures.