A city unity committee meeting was held under the chairmanship of Mayor Hitesh Barot to make the 149th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath ji peaceful in Ahmedabad.
149th Ahmedabad Rath Yatra: City Ekta Samiti meeting was held today at Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Danapith with a view to complete the 149th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath to be held on July 16, 2026 in a peaceful, orderly and harmonious atmosphere. Ahmedabad Mayor Hiteshbhai Barot presided over this meeting in which police department, officials of various departments of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Mahantshri of Jagannath Temple, members of city unity committee and leaders of various societies were present and discussed various issues for the successful planning of Rath Yatra.
Integrated planning and security systems
In order to maintain an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood along the entire route of the Rath Yatra, intensive coordination has been established between the Police Department and various sections of the AMC. Mayor Hiteshbhai Barot clarified that, keeping in mind the faith of the devotees, the system is fully equipped to ensure that the Rath Yatra returns to its own temple smoothly and on time. This year the entire route will be kept under intensive monitoring of CCTV cameras to keep a close eye on every movement, tightening the security arrangements this year.
Protection of elephants and noise control
This year, special precautions are being taken regarding the safety of the elephants involved in the Rath Yatra. Elephants can often become distracted by loud noises and loud DJs, which can be dangerous in crowded areas. Keeping this in mind, there are strict guidelines for not using DJs or extremely loud sound systems on the routes that the elephants will pass through. Through this decision, an attempt will be made to maintain a disciplined atmosphere in the festival along with the safety of animals.
Drastic changes in traffic management and facilities
Learning from the experiences of previous years, important changes have been made in the traffic system this time. A special action plan has been prepared by the police and traffic department to solve the traffic problem in Jamalpur area especially during the return of the chariot.
In addition, advanced lighting arrangements have been made along the route of the Rath Yatra, including 730 electric poles and 560 flood lights. 11 UPS and a team of 33 employees of Torrent Power will be continuously deployed to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
Emphasis on sanitation and public convenience
Along with the religious festival, intensive cleaning campaign will be conducted by AMC for the convenience of citizens. Cleaning of drains and catchpits on the route has been ordered to be completed on war footing. Also, arrangements have been made for more than 101 trucks participating in the yatra to provide adequate drinking water and special I-cards for identification to the sailor brothers.
The work of inspecting dilapidated houses on the route and making them safe is also at the final stage. The sole aim of all these arrangements is to make this Rath Yatra, a symbol of the faith of millions of devotees, highly successful and memorable.
Who attended the meeting?
MLA Kaushikbhai Jain, Payalben Kukrani, Deputy Mayor Anjuben Shah, Standing Committee Chairman Kamleshbhai Patel, Municipal Commissioner Banchanidhi Pani, Police Commissioner Anupamsingh Gehlot and other high officials and social leaders were present in this meeting.
