Bhubaneswar: As the Annual Rath Jatra will be celebrated on two days this year, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today announced a two days holiday on July 7 & 8 for the festival.
The Chief Minister has made this announcement while chairing a high-level meeting to review the preparedness made for the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath and his siblings in Puri.
For the last time in 1971, such a rare and special Rath Jatra (two-day festival) was held in Puri. Now, after a gap of 53 years, such a rare occasion has arrived that too during the tenure of the new BJP government, he said, adding it is like blessings and luck for the new government to take part in such a special festival.
“As the Rath Jatra will be conducted for two days, I direct the concerned officer to declare a two days public holiday,” Shri Majhi said.
He asked all officers present in the meeting to successfully discharge their responsibilities during the Rath Jatra to keep the stature of Puri and Odisha pride intact.
The Chief Minister said President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to participate in the Rath Jatra celebration. She will arrive in Puri on July 6 evening and participate in the festival and chariot pulling on July 7 afternoon.
This year, important rituals like ‘Nabajaubana Darshan’, ‘Netra Utsav’ and the ‘Gundicha Jatra’ fall on one day – July 7. Therefore, he sought cooperation from all stakeholders for timely conduct of the rituals and smooth completion of the festival.
Two deputy chief ministers, K V Singh Deo & Pravati Parida along with several Ministers and senior Government Officers including Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja attended the meeting, which was the last coordination meeting for smooth conduct of the Rath Jatra.