Thousands take part in Lord Jagannath rath yatra in city

Amritsar, December 16

Sri Sri Gaur Nitai (Krishna Balaram) Rath Yatra was taken out today by Jagannath Rath Yatra Committee (ISKCON) in Amritsar. Thousands of devotees took part in the rath yatra in the presence of Swami Navogendra and ISKCON Amritsar President Swami Indranuj Das.

People of all ages joined hands in pulling the chariot. The yatra started from Bijli Pehalwan Mandir on the Lawrence Road and culminated at Durgiana temple. After staring from the Lawrence Road, it passed through Bhandari Bridge via Novelty Chowk. Prominent among those participated in the yatra were MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, former deputy CM OP Soni, former mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, Social Worker Surbi Mittal and Durgiana Temple Management Committee president Lakshmi Kanta Chawal. Devotees distributed food items at various places in the city. The tradition of organising the yatra in the city had started around two decades ago. However, over the years, local residents and organisations of different communities have started attending the event in a bigger way.

Social worker Surbi Mittal said, “Residents participated in the yatra with great zeal. People from all walks of life attended the event.”

However, all major prominent roads with prime shopping markets in the city faced traffic congestion and people struggled to make their ways on roads as the yatra was taken out on the busy evening hours on Saturday. Commuters were seen stranded in traffic jams on roads around Bhandari Bridge. Though traffic police personnel were deployed to regulate traffic at various places, long queues of vehicles were seen at several roads.

“The police should have made better traffic arrangements and people should have been guided about alternative routes,” said a commuter stranded in a traffic jam.