In aftermath of train accident, prep finished at breakneck speed

BHUBANESWAR: This year's preparations for the Rath Yatra was like no other for it was done at breakneck speed in a short span of time for just days ago the state witnessed its worst train tragedy till date and the authorities spent weeks in relief and rescue operations. For almost a week in the aftermath of the train tragedy - that took place on June 2 at Bahanaga station and killed 293 passengers and injured over 1,000 - officials faced immense challenges in providing the best healthcare facilities to the injured, arranging transportation for the kin of the deceased and facilitating the identification of the dismembered bodies. In the aftermath of such a humongous task, the government's immediate priority was to ensure a smooth conduct of Rath Yatra in Puri that draws nearly 10 lakh devotees from across the world.
"Preparations for Rath Yatra are always done on a massive scale, involving all departments and NGOs. Usually, the preparations started around 20-30 days but this time, we pulled it off in a short period as our entire machinery was busy in post-Bahanaga rescue and restoration operations," a senior government official said.
Sources said that the government had asked the Puri collector and SP to start the preparations by following the laid-down blueprints of the previous years. Senior government officers from the state headquarters (Bhubaneswar) intervened and started overseeing the preparations at ground zero from June 10. Several ministers, bureaucrats and IPS officers started camping in Puri and convened a series of review meetings to ensure that nothing was left to chance.