Bhubaneswar:30/5/20: Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb said Rath Yatra can be held if the government ensures that no devotees are allowed into Puri Bada Danda (Grand Road).
The Puri King, however, said the final decision on this score lies with the state government.
The Srimandir Managing Committee, meanwhile, has proposed the state government to conduct the annual chariot festival without allowing devotees on the Grand Road.
The Puri Srimandir will remain out of bounds for devotees in view of the COVID-19 and the SnanaYatra rituals will be held inside temple premises at the Meghanad Pacheri with limited number of servitors, said Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb.
The State l&PR department will make arrangements for live telecast and webcast of Snana Yatra and Rath Yatra rituals. The feed will be shared with media houses, he added.
The Puri Gajapati has urged the devotees to stay safe at home and watch the telecast on TV.