Devotees protest barricade outside Puri Sri Mandir set up for safety

Puri: Ensuring safety of devotees during the ongoing rush for holy Kartik month, the Sri Jagannath Temple administration has set up barricades outside the temple. But devotees have started complaining that they are not able to perform rituals of revolving around the shrine due to the extension of barricades.

Pabitra Das, a devotee, stated, "We are facing problems while moving around the temple premises. Without a walk around the shrine, the darshan of deities is half-hearted."

Jagannath culture expert Naresh Das stated, "The temple administration has taken steps to decongest the premises which is a welcome step. However, the space around the shrine has narrowed due to the barricades making it difficult for the devotees to revolve around the temple."

Recently the zig-zag barricade has been expanded near the Singha Dwara for another 40 feet to ensure smooth darshan in view of heavy inflow of Habisyalis in Kartik.

Puri Collector and deputy chief temple administrator Arvind Agarwal said, "The expansion has been made for hassle-free darshan, not to trouble devotees."