Puri: With an aim to tackle traffic congestion outside the Srimandir and ensure hassle free entry of devotees into the 12th century shrine, the Puri district administration has declared the premises of Singhadwara (Lion's Gate) of the temple as no parking.
Initiating efforts in this regard, the officials of the district administration have begun eviction of all makeshift shops from the vicinity of the Singhadwara besides barring any kind of four and two wheeler vehicles parking outside the gate.
Similarly, as per the directives of Puri District Collector Jyoti Prakash Dash, traffic police have been deployed to monitor and strictly enforce traffic regulations outside the temple.
“Earlier we used to evict makeshift vendors from the vicinity of the Singhadwara and Laxmi Bazaar in front of ‘Uttaradwara’ but as it is not possible to guard the area 24X 7, vendors set up their makeshift shops time and time again. But this time, the district administration and police have formed joint squads who are conducting regular checking to prevent encroachment,” said Dash.
This apart, the district administration has also directed the concerned officials to prevent any form of begging activities outside the temple.
On the other hand, the move of the district administration has been widely applauded by the servitor community and tourists.
Senior servitor Binayak Das Mohapatra said, “Everyone including tourists and pilgrims face a lot of difficulties due to unauthorised parking of vehicles infront of the Singhadwara, so we hope that the enforcement by the district administration will curb the practice and help in implementation of smooth and hassle free entry into the temple."
Devotee Shyam Prasad Mohapatra also welcomed the move to declare Singhadwara as no parking zone but said that alternative arrangements should be made to allow people especially old age persons to easily commute to the temple in small vehicles.