Bhubaneswar: Not the Grand Road alone is silent, the worshipers are missing in Rath Yatra.
Puri Beach also wore a quiet view because of the night at night to stop the public meeting during the festival because of the prevalent Covid crisis, resulting in loss of business for hundreds of small vendors.
The marine drive and the beach which was once full of tourists was silent on Monday.
The seafront hotel was once decorated with a layer of paint and colorful lights to welcome tourists as long as Rath Yatra also looked pale this time.
“We missed Rath Yatras before 2020 used to make the castle live and cheerful.
Puri has lost sheen without a touristy and hustle and bustle on the beach,” said Debasis Kumar, the owner of the Hotel Victoria overlooking the beach.
The source said the livelihood of at least 600 vendors on the coast and 2000 small traders at the Grand Road 3 km, overlooked Jagannath’s temple, had been beaten badly as long as Rath Yatra followed the ban on worshipers.
“As long as Rath Yatras, I used to get Rs 2,000 every day by giving camels and horses to tourists on the beach.
Now I struggle to feed my family,” said Prasanaana Sahoo.
Sahadeb Pradhan, who has sold shellfish, conch and pearls on the beach, used to do business that quickly late at night.
“I almost won’t have time to eat because my shop was crowded all the time during Rat Yatra.
But the pandemic has reversed my business,” Pradhan said.
Sreehari Sahoo, who has a Khaja (Sweet Delicacy) and an idol store at the Grand Road, used to have his hands full during the nine-day Mega Festival.
“For people like us, Rath Yatra is the main source of income.
Rath Yatra is identical to the crowd and crowd means a fast business.
However, fate has been ordained the worst for us this year,” Sahoo said.
Pelangi and restaurant owners echo similar sentiments.
“With the prohibition of the movement of trains, buses and other public transport modes to the castle to avoid the church people, the hotels fall empty.
Only a handful of tourists in our hotel at the Grand Road.
But the government evacuated tourists two days before RATH,” said Sangram Mohanty, a hotel manager.