The administration of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri has decided to construct a ramp for the differently abled.

Chief administrator of the temple Ranjan Kumar Das told The Telegraph: “We have decided to construct the ramp on the northern gate of the temple for the disabled. The ramp will be part of the Heritage Corridor project plan.”

Sources said once a physically challenged person reaches the temple, the volunteers will assist him or her. “They will be taken in a chair fitted with handlebars. The volunteers will help them in the darshan of the deities.”

A special standard operating procedure will be rolled out for this purpose. A restroom will be set up near the north gate for the differently abled.

Eminent social activist Dr Sruti Mohapatra said: “Easy access to darshan is an important concern for the physically challenged persons. The facility will not only help the disabled but also serve the needs of a wide range of people, including the elderly, pregnant women and people with obesity.”

In another step, the Puri district administration has decided to construct an air-conditioned corridor for devotees waiting in queue outside the shrine. The temple administration has already faced flak for making people wait for nearly two hours outside the temple to have a darshan of the deities.

According to the plan, an 85-metre tunnel-like corridor will be created in front of the temple facing the shrine. A canopy-like structure already exists there from the shrine to the temple office, covering a distance of nearly 200 metres. Drinking water facilities will be provided to the devotees in the proposed corridor. The AC corridor, which will look like a tunnel will be dismantled during the rath yatra.