Mobile toilets for Puri Car festival

Puri, June 21 (UNI) Keeping in view the lakhs of pilgrims arriving in this holy city to witness the world famous Car festival next week, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed the administration to deploy more mobile courts and mobile toilets.

Presiding over the final preparatory meeting of the Car festival (Rath Yatra) here yesterday, Mr Patnaik asked the authorities concerned to install adequate lavatory and deploy a number of mobile toilets to cater to the needs of the visiting devotees. He also stressed that lavatory should be exclusively marked for the ladies along the Grand Road.

The Chief Minister urged the Railway police to deal with miscreants who loot pilgrims' and advised the hotel owners to instal safe deposit lockers for pilgrims' property.

Expressing concern over the sale of adulterated food and vegetables, Mr Patnaik requested the district judge to allocate more magistrates to cheek the menace and asked the law department to deploy more mobile courts to ensure sale of healthy food.

He also directed the health officials and the police to take strong action against the sale of spurious water pouches and water bottles.

The Chief Minister was apprised of the supply of power, water, essential commodities, communication, health services, passenger transport, accommodation of pilgrims, construction work of three rathas, and security for the smooth conduct of the festival commencing on June 27.

Law Minister Biswabhusan Harichandan, Housing Minister Kanak Bardhan Singhdeo, Energy and Culture Minister Suryanarayan Patra, Orissa Assembly Speaker Maheswar Mohanty, Minister of State for health and Family Welfare Duryadhan Majhi, Local member of Parliament Braja Kishore Tripathy, Temple Chief Administrator Suresh Chandra Mohapatra were among others who participated in the meeting.

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