Following last year’s tragic incident at Kumarghat in Tripura's Unakoti district where ten devotees lost their lives during Ulta Rath Yatra, the West Tripura district administration on Friday instructed organisers to keep the height of Lord Jagannath's chariots below five feet.

"We held a meeting with all stakeholders of the upcoming rath yatra festival scheduled to commence on July 7. We have instructed organisers that the height of chariots should not exceed 5 feet to prevent incidents like Kumarghat. Additionally, we have emphasised minimising the use of metal in construction of chariots," West Tripura district magistrate Vishal Kumar told reporters.

The Public Works Department (PWD) and Tripura Electricity Corporation Ltd (TECL) will inspect the proposed chariots, with TECL specifically checking transmission lines along the designated routes of the rath yatra, he said. Kumar further assured the deployment of ambulances and increased police presence to prevent any untoward incidents.

"We have taken necessary measures to avoid a recurrence of the Kumarghat tragedy. All stakeholders, including TSECL, PWD, Traffic Police, regular police, and fire and emergency services, are working together to ensure a safe and accident-free celebration of the Rath Yatra," Kumar said.

Ten devotees died of electrocution and 16 others were injured as a rath, made of iron and heavily decorated, came in contact with a high-tension wire in Unakoti district on June 29, 2023.

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