Odisha Rath Yatra row: Special officer to meet servitors today

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, June 27:

Amidst the ongoing row in Odisha over the selection of authorised persons who can mount the chariots during Rath Yatra in Puri scheduled on June 29, the special officer in-charge of the Rath Yatra and Water Resources secretary Suresh Mohapatra will have another round of meeting with the Daitapatis and other servitors today to finalise the number and list of those who would be allowed atop the chariots.

“Most of the issues have been solved in the first meeting held on Wednesday in which the servitors unanimously agreed to extend full cooperation in solving different issues relating to the Rath Yatra”, Mohapatra told the media on Thursday.

However, some of the office bearers of the Daitapati Nijog had walked out of the meeting alleging that nothing was solved in the meeting and that no decision was taken.

They had also warned the state government and the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) that they would be held responsible for any acts of indiscipline that may take place during the festival.

The special officer, however, maintained that the government would make the Yatra peaceful and incident-free with the active support of the servitors of all the Nijogs of the Sri Jagannath temple.

“We have a very good rapport with the servitors and are hopeful of sorting out their issues in the second meeting,” said Mohapatra who along with the SJTA will have a meeting with the Ghantua, Suara, Mahasuaar and Daitapati servitors to fix their number to render services and perform rituals of the deities on the chariots.