Kolkata: Ahead of annual Ratha Yatra, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday had held a meeting with officials of Digha-Sankarpur Development Authority (DSDA), police and ISKCON monks at the newly constructed Jagannath temple at Digha.

Talking to the media, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that the chariots will start from 2:30 pm.

“The chariots will be taken outside the temple in the wee hours and the decorations and celebrations will start from 9 am. The Mangal Aarti will start at 2:30 pm and then the chariots will start rolling. The chariots will reach Lord Jagannath’s Mashir Bari by 4 pm. There will be barricades so that the streets are clear for the chariots to move safely,” said Mamata.

Notably, soon after the sanctum sanctorum got open on Wednesday several visitors had visited the temple to pay homage to the Lord.

The West Bengal Chief Minister had also reviewed the 1km yatra route with DSDA officials and police personnel in which the chariots will move.

“Follow this route,” Mamata was heard saying to DGP Rajiv Kumar.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that the Hindus should ensure that people from other religions should not participate in Lord Jagannath’s rath Yatra.

“Just like we cannot participate in other religious programmes, no one from another religion should participate in Rath Yatra. If people from other religions participate in Rath Yatra then Lord Jagannath will not accept it,” said Adhikari.