With the world-famous Shri Jagannath Rath Yatra fast approaching, the Puri administration has launched a massive demolition drive to ensure smooth traffic for lakhs of arriving devotees.
Targeting encroachments near Kavat Nala on the Puri-Bhubaneswar National Highway, the crackdown aims to widen the crucial four-lane stretch from Batgaon Chowk to Hospital Chowk. Backed by a magistrate, four police platoons, and fire and electricity officials, the operation is moving at a frantic pace.
Though planned during the 2015 Nabakalebara, this vital bottleneck remained unresolved due to pending land acquisitions. Following a recent High Court ruling in favor of the state government, the hurdles vanished. The administration has now begun clearing the remaining 11 plots—spanning roughly 6 acres of private and government land—alongside 6 temples.
Officials confirm that about 98% of the land has already been acquired. The remaining patches will be handed over to the Public Works Department within 2–3 days, transforming Puri’s main gateway just in time for the grand festival.