BHUBANESWAR: The Twin City was lit up on Saturday but the reverberation of celebration was missing. The pyrotechnics that strike through the night sky were conspicuous by absence; the Chinese lanterns, floating midair, being the only exception.
Diwali remained a low-key affair as the State government had banned sale and use of firecrackers. There was occasional bomb which went off, piercing the silence in the State Capital although in Cuttack, people were more adventurous.
People in Bhubaneswar decorated their houses with lights and diays in the evening and performed ‘paya shradha’ and ‘pinda daan’ for their ancestors as per the tradition. In some places, residents also lit diyas and offered prayer for the safety and wellbeing of frontline workers who are in the battle against the coronavirus without carrying much about their lives.
“No amount of prayer is sufficient for what our doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and other frontline workers have been doing for us since the outbreak of the pandemic. They are on duty even today when we all are celebrating the festival,” said Sangeeta Kumari, a resident of Jayadurga Nagar.
Unlike previous years, no ‘shradha’ or ‘pinda daan’ were allowed at Bindu Sagar and Lingaraj Temple Singhadwar to prevent large gathering.
The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) also penalised those who were found selling or bursting crackers in violation of the government guidelines. Fines were also collected for violation of social distancing norm during Dhanteras and Diwali celebrations.
Additional Commissioner Abanikant Patnaik informed that more than Rs 1.5 lakh fine was collected from violators during Dhanteras and Diwali. “Celebration of the festival remained smooth and no untoward incident was reported from any part of the city. We imposed fine of Rs 1,000 and more on traders and individuals who were found violating the Covid norms and government order on Friday and Saturday,” he said.
The enforcement squads of the civic body collected Rs 22,500 fine in South West zone, Rs 74,000 in North Zone and Rs 54,000 in South East zone. More than 50 individuals and traders were penalised for violating government direction, Patnaik said.
In Cuttack, majority of the city residents confined the celebration to lighting of ghee or oil lamps and the rest were found bursting crackers with police remaining mute spectators. The violation was more in rural pockets. Lack of enforcement activities allowed some shops to sell fireworks.
“The celebration was different this year. We lighted traditional lamps and offered prayer for protection of people from the pandemic,” said Mandakini Senapati, a resident of Arunoday Nagar.