Pilgrims suffer as boat service is stalled at Dhabaleswar Temple, Odisha

Odisha Sun Times Bureau

Cuttack, Nov 21:

The devotees are facing difficulty as communication between Bidanasi ghat and Dhabaleswar temple is hampered due to stoppage of services by boatmen protesting compulsory safety measures like registration, insurance and life jackets by the Cuttack administration.

The temple visited by around 1 lakh pilgrims during the ‘Panchaka’ and ‘Bada Usha’, they are unable to take the short route over the river but now they have to take the road and cross the river by a hanging bridge.

The around 20 boats that ply the river are peeved by the safety measures enforced by the administration of compulsory life jackets for passengers, registeration of boats and insurance.

The boat owners feel the money spent in them will not be recovered during these five days. They are demanding financial help by the administration in the registration of the boats.

Meanwhile, elaborate arrangements have been made by the administration looking at the large number of devotees from across Odisha expected to congregate at the Baba Dhabaleswar temple for the ‘Panchaka’.

Barricades have been erected in and around the temple to ensure smooth darshan, and 16 platoons of police and 60 traffic police with 106 assistant sub inspectors, 9 DSPs and 16 inspectors have been pressed into action to check any untoward incident.