Rs 1.2 crore Earmarked for 2010 Puri Rath Yatra

BY: SUN STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Mar 25, JAGANNATHA PURI, ORISSA — Nearly Rs 1.2 crore has been earmarked to defray the expenses for the forthcoming Rath Yatra, to be celebrated on July 13th. The Jagannath Temple managing committee approved the shrine's annual budget of Rs 45.10 crore for 2010-11 on Tuesday.

"We have made budgetary allocation of Rs 1.2 crore for this year's Rath Yatra. Last year, a little above Rs 1.05 crore was spent on the annual festival," Jagannath Temple's Chief Administrator, Ashok Meena told media persons.

"The total fixed deposits of the temple as on March 31 will be Rs 131 crore which are expected to rise to around Rs 150 crore in 2011. The ultimate goal of the temple management is to increase the fixed deposits to at least Rs 250 crore by March 2013," Meena said.

Meanwhile, the temple administration on Tuesday again put off its plan to hike the prices of Parimanik tickets (special tickets to get close to the Deities) at the temple.

The shrine administration recently announced a hike in the price of the special tickets to Rs 100 and Rs 25 from Rs 25 and Rs 5, respectively from March 15. The revised fees were even collected from pilgrims for few hours on March 15 before the scheme was ‘virtually' put on hold due to protests by Pratihari priests. The officials then said they would reconsider the price hike of tickets.