Timber of chariots rot in open since Rath Yatra at Haribaldevjew temple

BARIPADA: Residents of Baripada town have expressed resentment over the Endowments department’s negligence in preserving the wood used in making the chariots of the Trinity at Haribaldevjew temple during Rath Yatra this year.

The locals complained that ever since the 13-day festival at the Dwitiya Srikhetra concluded on July 11, the chariots are exposed to rain and sun on the Grand road near the temple. Not only that, but they have also started rotting after getting submerged in the rain.

Worse, the chariots have not yet been dismantled as the ‘Ratha godown’, where the logs are stored, was razed a couple of years back due to construction work on the temple premises. Devotee Rana Satyakam Senapati and others demanded that the Endowments department should dismantle the chariots soon and take care of the logs as they can be used for chariot construction in the coming years.

“The dismantling would have been completed a month ago. It was put off due to the high wages demanded by the labourers. But this issue will soon be taken care of,” informed Sub-Collector Anya Das.