TV
The holy city of Puri is grappling with increasing traffic congestion — a concern no longer limited to the Rath Yatra or Niladri Bije days. With the steady rise in the number of pilgrims visiting every year, the city is now facing intense traffic pressure on regular days as well.
The roads, especially the Grand Road (Bada Danda), are often packed with cars and bikes, causing unmanageable gridlocks. This chaotic situation has prompted concerns not just among devotees but also from intellectuals and senior servitors of the temple, who are questioning the city's preparedness and planning.
Experts point out that the problem lies not only in the growing footfall but also in the lack of robust infrastructure and efficient crowd management systems. They emphasize the need for a long-term solution — one that focuses on expanding the city’s physical infrastructure and adopting smart traffic and crowd control technologies.
As the situation worsens, calls for a sustainable traffic management plan in Puri are growing louder. The city, being a major pilgrimage hub, needs immediate attention to ensure the safety, comfort, and spiritual experience of millions of devotees visiting the sacred Jagannath Dham year-round.
During the Sunabesha (golden attire ritual of Lord Jagannath) this year, the parking lots in and around Puri witnessed an overwhelming rush. All designated four-wheeler parking spaces were filled to capacity. Even the contingency parking arrangements along the beachside were brought into use due to the heavy influx of vehicles.
According to official sources, each designated parking lot in Puri can accommodate around 400 four-wheelers. With 21 regular parking areas and several temporary and emergency zones combined, the total capacity extends up to 10,000 to 12,000 cars.
Despite these arrangements, the actual load far exceeded expectations. ADG of Police, Dayal Gangwar, who is overseeing traffic management during the Rath Yatra festival, stated that in just eight hours on the day of Sunabesha, approximately 25,000 four-wheelers and 25,000 two-wheelers had to be regulated.
Crowd turnout during this year's Sunabesha reportedly surpassed last year's numbers. A major bottleneck was observed near Malatipatapur and Batagaon due to 'funnelling effect' — where traffic moving in two lanes on the National Highway had to merge into a single lane upon entering the city, leading to heavy congestion.
Gangwar emphasized that if the traffic inflow and outflow in Puri were proportional, management would have been much smoother. However, that was not the case. While thousands of vehicles entered the city for Bahuda Yatra and Sunabesha, only a minimal number were leaving, leading to gridlock in certain zones.
"We handled more than 25,000 four-wheelers and same number of two-wheelers during Rath Yatra for nearly eight to 10 hours this year," said Police ADG Dayal Gangwar.
Warning by experts
This situation, experts warn, highlights the growing challenge of traffic and crowd management in Puri during major religious events. Specialists have suggested that the government and local administration need to adopt stronger, more strategic traffic management policies in future to handle the increasing number of devotees and vehicles.
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"Large number of devotees are coming to Puri to witness Rath Yatra. Huge crowd is expected during Rath Yatra and Suna Besha. However, we are witnessing huge crowd even on the occasion of Adhara Pana. Large number of devotees are expected on the occasion of 'Niladri Bije' tomorrow. We don't have proper crowd management system in place. Elaborate arrangement including a flyover should be made for systematic crowd management in coming days," said senior servitor Damodar Pradhani.
"Proper infrastructure should be made for parking of vehicles outside Puri so that less number of vehicles will enter Puri. Then devotees could park their vehicles near Malatipatpur and avail public transport service to have darshan of the deities in Puri," said road safety expert Subrat Nanda.
