Bhubaneswar, Dec 25 (IANS): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday gave his nod to the establishment of a 'Special Security Battalion' for the fool-proof security of Shree Jagannath Temple, better crowd management and improved inflow of devotees at the 12th century shrine.

Jagannath Temple falls in the "high risk category", which requires "Level-II protection". The temple, which attracts thousands of devotees every day, is guarded by the personnel of Puri police and other special security wings of the state police.

The Chief Minister's Office in a statement noted in the post-Covid period, the daily footfall of devotees was estimated to be about 50,000, whereas it doubles and triples during the weekends and on important religious occasions.

It is anticipated that the flow of devotees is likely to witness a substantial increase after the dedication of the new Heritage Corridor Project - Srimandir Parikrama prakalp to the public.

"Based on the feedback given by Chairman 5T and Nabin Odisha, V.K. Pandian, after discussion with all the stakeholders, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the creation of a dedicated Special Security Battalion for providing full proof security to Srimandir, Puri, crowd management and devotee facilitation," the CMO office said in a statement.

The new battalion would be specially trained for better crowd management and tourist/devotee facilitation for ensuring a hassle-free and orderly 'darshan' by the devotees. The Special Security Battalion would have around 1,190 personnel, and it would be placed under the command and control of the Superintendent of Police, Puri.