Even with the recent havoc caused by cyclone Fani in the state, Odisha is gearing up to welcome devotees from all over the world on the occasion of Rath Yatra. With an expected increase of up to 33% in footfalls, the state will host more than 2 million people on this auspicious occasion. The Rath Yatra is held on the second day of the fortnight of Asadha (June-July) every year.
Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Odisha Tourism Minister said, “I take great pride in announcing that Odisha will be celebrating the colourful Jagannath Rathyatra from July 4-12, just 2 months after the cyclone-ravaged Puri”. The Minister also mentioned that the necessary amenities like electricity, water supply, telecommunication, and hotels, have been restored after Fani’s damage.
“As we are still going through the restoration process, we expected the Chariot festival to be low key. However, we are fully prepared now and are expecting 1.5-2 million devotees to participate in the festival,” said Vishal Kumar Dev, Tourism, Sports and Youth Services commissioner cum secretary. He also mentioned about the huge restoration work with easy loans and subsidies being provided to small to mid-sized hotels to get their business up and running.