CUTTACK: The Cuttack administration on Tuesday decided not to allow public celebration of Durga Puja in the Millennium city this year in view of the COVID-19 health pandemic. "Under the present situation, no public celebration of Durga Puja can be allowed in the city in view of safety of the public. However, people can observe Durga Puja in their houses," said Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani.
Rituals can be carried out at pandals without any public participation, he said. Under no circumstances, public gathering or celebrations would be allowed outside. "However, puja committees can worship the Goddess and conduct all rituals at their puja pandals like it is being done in temples," Chyani clarified.
Meanwhile, a PIL was filed in the Orissa High Court on Tuesday seeking judicial intervention for continuing construction of the Mrunamayi Murti (clay idol) of Goddess Durga in puja mandaps across the city. The petition said the rituals for the Durga Puja and Dusshera commences from the day of Janmastami.
In order to continue the tradition, the authorities allowed to conduct the first ritual by allowing the puja committees to bring clay from the river without any procession to ensure that social distance is maintained in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second ritual - starting of construction of the clay statue of Goddess Durga - is done from the day of Radhastami. As no permission had followed for it, the ritual could not be started on Tuesday on the occasion of Radhastami, the petition said. The Balubazar Puja Committee filed the petition through lawyer Anirudh Sangneria.
The Balubazar Puja Committee has one of the oldest Puja mandaps in the State where Goddess Durga is being worshipped since 1509 and referred to as ‘Elder Sister’ among the idols that come up in other Puja mandaps in the city. The petition has cited Puri Rath Yatra which was allowed this year amidst restrictions.
247 fresh COVID-19 cases in Cuttack
CUTTACK: The district on Tuesday registered 247 fresh Covid-19 cases taking the tally to 6,161. The 247 new cases include highest 125 cases from Cuttack Municipal Corporation(CMC) area and the rest 122 cases from rural parts of the district. Of the 125 cases detected in CMC areas, while 24 have been reported from institutional quarantine, 34 from Kumbhar Sahi Micro Containment zone and 33 from home quarantine, 34 cases are local contact cases.
While six Covid warriors undergoing institutional quarantine have been tested positive, the 34 local contact cases are from 30 localities in the city. As on Tuesday, the total number of positive cases in CMC area stands at 3653 with 1428 active cases. Meanwhile, office of the Collector and District Magistrate, Cuttack, was shutdown for 48 hours after a staff tested positive. The office would be sanitised.