Battery-operated car runs into Goddess Subhadra’s under-construction chariot in Puri

Goddess Subhadra’s chariot ‘Darpadalana' suffered minor damage on Tuesday after a battery-operated car dashed against the axle of the front side of the chariot. 

There are several battery-operated cars running in Puri town to carry elderly and Divyang passengers to Lord Jagannath temple. The mishap occurred today when one of such cars was returning from the temple after dropping off some passengers.

The collision was so intense that some pieces of the vehicle’s windscreen got stuck on the axle. However, no casualty was reported. 
The chief carpenter of the chariot held the driver responsible for the mishap. 

“Thank God the accident caused no damage to the chariot. Otherwise, it would have been a loss to the tune of lakhs of rupees. Apart from the loss, it would have kicked off a fuss. The question is why they (the drivers of the battery-operated cars) are driving so recklessly,” asked the chief carpenter of Darpadalana chariot, Narayan Maharana. 

Meanwhile, chariot construction is going on in full swing. The carpenters are busy constructing ‘Gargara’, ‘Chauda Nahaka’, ‘Chari Nahaka’, ‘Pancha Danda’, among others. Similarly, Ojha servitors are working hard at the special foundry at Dolabedi to provide nails and other hardware materials for chariot construction.