To curb the road fatalities in the state of Odisha, the Odisha police has come up with a unique approach to persuade two-wheeler riders into wearing helmets by prompting the priests of the highly revered Maa Sarala temple in Jagatsinghpur district to refuse the special puja for vehicles if the owners turn up without helmets.
The temple, which is 1000 years old, attracts thousands of devotees and as per the prevalent ritual the owners of two-wheelers take their new vehicle to the temple for a special puja and seek the deitys blessing for safe rides.
According to the data estimated by the Jagatsinghpur police, 10 new vehicles are brought to the temple every day for puja and in special occasions like Sankranti, the number is even higher.
The temples head priest Sudan Charan Panda has said that he would make all efforts to ensure the implementation of this new strategy, in close coordination with the police outpost.
