The Odisha government has started the process of installing an air-conditioned flexible fabric structure on the Grand Road in Puri to streamline the queue management system for devotees visiting the Jagannath temple. Prabhat Kumar Panigrahi, a senior engineer at Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation Limited (OBCC), said that this flexible fabric structure will be covered on three sides and will look like a tunnel. It will be 12 meters wide and 84 meters long. OBCC is implementing various infrastructure projects under the Heritage Corridor Project in Puri. Panigrahi said this structure will be installed at a distance of about two meters from the drain from Dharmajyoti Lodge to the temple office before the temple on Grand Road. He said that the dedicated corridor will be used only for entering the temple.
Air conditioned infrastructure will be built by 25th December
At present, a temporary structure has been set up in front of the temple for the entry of devotees into the 12th century temple. The Odisha engineer said that elderly devotees and children have to stand in queues for hours before entering the temple, which causes difficulty. Panigrahi said it was decided to install an air-conditioned structure to ensure smooth travel of devotees in the temple. He said that the process of taking measurements to establish the structure was started on Wednesday and a target has been set to complete it by December 25.