Heavy traffic congestion was reported on the Bhubaneswar–Puri National Highway on Saturday as thousands of devotees travelled to Puri to witness the sacred Suna Besha of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra during the annual Rath Yatra celebrations.A major traffic bottleneck developed near Batagaon, where vehicles crawled at a slow pace due to the overwhelming influx of pilgrims heading to the holy town. Commuters reported delays of nearly an hour on several stretches of the highway as long queues of buses, cars and two-wheelers extended for kilometres.Pilgrim rush triggers highway congestionThe massive turnout for Suna Besha, one of the most revered rituals of the Rath Yatra, led to a sharp increase in traffic volume from the early hours of the day. Thousands of devotees continued to make their way to Puri to seek the blessings of the sibling deities adorned in their majestic golden attire.With the steady arrival of pilgrims, traffic movement remained sluggish on key sections of the Bhubaneswar–Puri route.Police step up traffic managementTo manage the heavy rush, the traffic police and district administration intensified traffic regulation measures across major junctions and congestion-prone locations.Police personnel have been deployed at strategic points to streamline vehicular movement, prevent bottlenecks and assist commuters travelling towards Puri.Authorities have advised devotees to check the latest traffic updates before beginning their journey and to cooperate with officials by following traffic regulations and diversions wherever applicable.Heavy traffic likely throughout the day Officials expect the traffic volume on the Bhubaneswar–Puri National Highway to remain high throughout the day as more devotees continue to arrive for Suna Besha darshan.Pilgrims have been urged to plan their travel accordingly, allow extra travel time and exercise patience while travelling to the pilgrim town during one of the largest gatherings of the Rath Yatra festival.
