Drones, AI cameras to control huge rush of devotees during ‘Suna Besha’ in Odisha's Puri

With lakhs of devotees visiting Puri pilgrimage town to witness the 'Suna Besha' (golden attire) of Lord Jagannath and His siblings in chariot, Odisha Police have been using drones and AI cameras to control the crowd and cautioned people to make plans accordingly and abide by the traffic advisory issued, official sources said on Sunday.

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ADG (Traffic) Dayal Gangwar stated that the vehicle inflow from Bhubaneswar towards Puri is constantly on the rise. Therefore, dynamic diversion is being done for vehicles to ensure minimum waiting time at Batagaon-Maltipatpur. “Presently, the waiting time at Batagaon is around 20-30 minutes,” the senior cop said while appealing to devotees to follow traffic advisories and cooperate with on-duty police personnel.

Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan expressed, “We are expecting a turnout of about 15 lakh people on the occasion of Suna Besha. Last night alone, about 2 lakh devotees had Darshan of the deities in chariots. The administration is alert and aware of the situation and taking required measures to control the crowd,” the Minister expressed.

According to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) schedule, devotees can witness the Suna Besha rituals of the deities from 6.30 PM to 11.00 PM on Sunday.

In a Suna Besha alert, the police informed that all parking spaces in the pilgrimage town has been occupied due to a large number of devotees reaching Puri throughout Saturday night to have Darshan of Lord Jagannath and His siblings.

“As parking spaces in the town are almost fully occupied, vehicles are now being directed towards Talabania and Sterling based on the availability of parking spaces. Waiting times at Batagaon-Malatipatpur may be longer,” the police said.

In view of the huge devotee inflow to Puri, Odisha DGP Y B Khurania himself is monitoring the crowd management from the Integrated Crowd Control Centre (ICCC) and urged people to follow the advisory.

“Devotees are requested to follow advisories and maintain discipline and order during the Darshan period. Like the Rath Yatra and Bahuda, police are using drones and AI-powered cameras to control heavy crowds and regulate traffic. Adequate parking areas have been designated in and around Puri,” Khurania said.

The officials added that there was a ‘non-stop flow of devotees’ to Puri on Saturday night as the deities remained open for Darshan. “There was no ‘Pahuda’ (resting time) for the deities on Saturday night and devotees got the opportunity to see them on chariots. Therefore, there was a huge rush,” an official of the SJTA said.

Servitors performed the morning rituals today, while the Holy Trinity – Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath – were seated on their respective chariots.

The three divine chariots – ‘Taladwaja’, ‘Darpadalana’ and ‘Nandighosha’ – are parked in front of ‘Singha Dwar’ (Lions’ Gate) of the 12th-century shrine after completion of the deities’ nine-day annual sojourn.

Police have enhanced security, crowd management and traffic control measures for the 'Suna Besha' rituals, following the death of three devotees in a stampede near the Shree Gundicha Temple on June 29, a senior cop informed.

The SJTA Chief Administrator, Arabinda Padhee, has appealed to all stakeholders to actively cooperate for the smooth conduct of the deities’ ‘Suna Besha’ rituals.