'Dirty beach, littered streets' greet tourists in pilgrim town Puri ahead of New Year

The tall claims of Puri Municipality and the district administration have turned out to be just an eyewash as the streets and beaches of the pilgrim town are reportedly filled with tons of garbage.

As the New Year nears, tourists who are turning in a huge number, are left with the smell of urine, decomposing garbage and broken/unfinished pavements. Moreover, mounds of sand and construction material left on the road blocking pedestrians have also created inconvenience for tourists.

A tourist from West Bengal said, “Though the sea is beautiful to look from here, the garbage on the beach is dampening our mood. The administration should be sensible to make it tourist-worthy.”

Unfortunately, the beach also does not have required number of toilets.

Asked about the situation, the Executive Officer (EO) of Puri Municipality said three temporary toilets have been set up at the beach. Efforts are being made to clean the beaches and make it safer too, said the EO.

Notably, the Srimandir Parikrama project is all set to be inaugurated on January 17, 2024.

As per reports, in the list of invitees are 857 temples, the Shankaracharyas of Chardham (Four major Hindu shrines), and the king of Nepal.

On the other hand, devotees and servitors have demanded to ensure smooth and disciplined solemnisation of rituals of the deities on the day.