Rath Yatra 2025: The seaside pilgrim town of Puri is celebrating the grand Rath Yatra festival today, with lakhs of devotees flocking to witness the divine procession of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra. The local administration has made elaborate arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the event. Both civil and police forces are on high alert to manage the massive crowds and maintain law and order under tight security. Meanwhile, in Ahmedabad, the 148th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is also being held with extensive security measures in place. A total of 23,884 police personnel have been deployed along the yatra route to ensure public safety and prevent any untoward incidents. The deployment includes: 9 IGs and DIGs38 SPs and DCPs4 ASPs88 DySPs298 PIs558 PSIs3 Chetak Commandos10 BDDS (Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad) teams19 SRP (State Reserve Police) companies9 RAF (Rapid Action Force) companies20 dog squad teams4 mobile command and control vehicles6,500 Home Guard personnel1,100 Civil Defence volunteers For the first time in India, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being employed to strengthen security. AI-powered drones are being used to estimate crowd density and monitor real-time movements along the yatra route. Around 15 surveillance drones are providing live feeds to the control rooms. Additionally, 3,500 CCTV cameras are keeping a constant watch across the city, including: 2,872 body-worn cameras240 ‘Dhaba Points’ (static police posts)225 live-stream cameras To aid in crowd management and ensure child safety, 17 Jan Sahay Kendras (Public Assistance Centres) have been set up along the route. These centres are especially useful in helping reunite lost children with their families during the festival. Moreover, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with his family, visited a temple in Ahmedabad early this morning to attend the Mangla Aarti. Puri Rath Traffic AdvisoryTourist Buses All tourist buses coming from Bhubaneswar will be permitted to travel up to the Malatipatapur Parking area, and must return via the same route.All tourist buses coming from Brahmagiri side will be allowed up to Flourish India Parking, and must return via the same route.All tourist buses coming from Konark side will be allowed up to Swami Narayan Temple Parking, and must return via the same route. Regular Buses Regular buses coming from the Bhubaneswar side will be allowed up to the Talabania Bus Stand via the Malatipatapur ROB, and must return through Balighat, Samangara village and Batagaon.Regular buses from Konark side will be allowed up to the Talabania Bus stand via Balighai and Baidas Nagar, and their return will be on the same route.Regular buses from Brahmagiri side will be allowed up to the Talabania Bus stand, Batagaon, Malatipatapur ROB and Baidas Nagar and their return will be on the same route. Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) Vehicles coming from Bhubaneswar will be directed to park at Talabania via Malatipatapur ROB, Baidas Nagar and the Grid Station. Sequential parking will be arranged at designated spots including OLA Guest House, Helipad, ITI College, Indoor Stadium, Horticulture Field and the Fish Market. In case of overflow, vehicles will be diverted to the Sterling area parking facility.From Konark, same Talabania route. From Brahmagiri, sterling side via Managalaghat and Sterling Chhaka with designated parking sequence. Two Wheelers Vehicles coming from Bhubaneswar and Brahmagiri can park at the Old Jagannath Ballav parking area. In case of overflow, parking will be available at Matitota Helipad Ground and the nearby playground on a first-come, first-served basis.Vehicles coming from Konark will be allowed up to the Blue Flag Beach and Hotel Neelachal Ashok parking areas. Please note that access via the ROB road from Toshali Chhaka is not permitted. Vehicle Free Zones No motor vehicles will be allowed on the entire Grand Road, as well as several connecting routes around the Jagannath Temple. These include the stretch from Light House to Digabareni Chhaka, Subhash Bose Chhaka to Hospital Crossing, and the Mochisahi and Solakhia routes leading toward the temple.