Puri, July 1: Days after the tragic stampede at Saradhabali in Puri on Rath Yatra night, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday made his first visit to the holy city to assess the situation and review security arrangements.

The Chief Minister chaired a high-level meeting at the Puri Circuit House, focusing on crowd control and real-time coordination gaps that led to the unfortunate incident.

Following major administrative reshuffles, a new strategy has been implemented to ensure smooth conduct of the remaining Rath Yatra rituals. A dedicated crowd control plan has been introduced to prevent any recurrence of such mishaps, official sources said.

The Chief Minister held discussions with all the officers appointed for the festival’s management, emphasizing accountability and preparedness.

Senior bureaucrats including Aravind Agrawal and Soumendra Priyadarshi have been entrusted with key responsibilities for the smooth conduct of the remaining rituals of the annual Rath Yatra.

Retd IPS officer and CM’s advisor, Prakash Mishra has been given responsibility to oversee the overall arrangements, while Development Commissioner Anu Garg is leading the administrative inquiry into the stampede. Senior IPS officer Sarthak Sarangi has been assigned to oversee security arrangements for the festival.

Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, Puri MP Sambit Patra and local MLAs were, among others, present in the meeting.

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