Insurance cover for pilgrims visiting Car Festival

Puri, Apr 14 (UNI) Pilgrims visiting Puri to witness the world famous car festival will be now insured against terrorist attacks, riots and accidents.

According to Jagannath Temple Chief Administrator S C Mahapatra, about 70 lakh pilgrims, visiting the holy city to participate in the fortnight long Rath Yatra, would be now insured against the loss of life.

The insurance scheme would also cover accidents in the Puri railway station.

'' An insurance of Rs five lakh will be paid to the surviving family members for each loss of life or permanent disability due to any mishap or accident during the car festival,'' he added.

The insurance coverage would be applicable right from the 'Snan Purnima' to the return of the three presiding deities of the Jagannath temple to their original abode.

''Nearly five lakh residents of this pilgrim city would be also covered under the scheme,'' Mr Mohapatra said.

Besides, a separate annual life insurance scheme would also come into force for the life of all the pilgrims and temple servitors with an assured sum of Rs five lakh.

The scheme would be operational from this year.

The temple administration would pay the premiums for both the insurance schemes.

The Temple administration has also decided that the 1200 odd servitor families, constituting nearly 95 per cent of the total servitor population identified as living below the poverty line, would be provided Medi-claim up to Rs 30000.

The premium amount for the medi-claim would be paid by the temple administration.

The claim covers nursing home rent, doctor's fees, cost of medicines and other such requirements for treatment of the ailing servitors and their family members.

''A modern multi-storeyed parking yard will be constructed in the Jagannath Ballav complex, while a pilgrim and tourist amenity centre will be developed on the 30 acres of land near Malatipatpur, on the outskirts of the city,''the chief administrator said.

A two day work-shop for the servitors and the management members of 30 important and ancient Jagannath temples of the state would be held from the April 23 to enlighten the participating priests on the observance of mandatory rituals and niceties for offerings to the lord Jagannath.

All these would be done to streamline the conduct of rituals in all the Jagannath temples across the state and outside.

The Administration would extend financial assistance to those temples where required rituals could not be observed due to paucity of funds, Mr Mohapatra said.

The temple administration, he said, would develop a religious tourist circuit connecting places like Marada, Tikali, Niladriprasad, Mahisha Barhampur in the Chilika lake besides Sonepur where Lord Jagannath was taken to be kept in hiding a number of times during Muslim invasion and worshipped in secret.

The temple body has already acknowledged the religious importance of these places after the visit of a high-level temple priest team, Mr Mohapatra said.

UNI