The Odisha government said that this year’s annual Rath Yatra festival will be held without crowds of devotees and they will not be allowed to watch the rituals from rooftops en route to the chariot. Puri District Magistrate Samarth Verma told reporters here that the administration has reviewed its decision and restrictions have also been imposed on viewing the Rath Yatra scene from the roofs of houses and hotels.
He said that a day before the festival to be held on July 12, curfew would be imposed in Puri city which would be in effect till noon the next day.
Verma said that this festival of Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath is being celebrated for the second consecutive year without the participation of devotees due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He appealed to the people of the city to watch the live telecast of the festival on television.
Priests, police personnel and government officials attending the Rath Yatra will have to undergo RT-PCR test at least four times. This decision has been taken as part of an effort to minimize the risk of Covid-19 infection.
The official said on Friday that Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) President DrIn the meeting held in Puri under the chairmanship of Krishna Kumar, all the stakeholders agreed on the decision that continuous investigation would ensure the safety of all those involved in the preparations for the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath to be held on July 12. These preparations and rituals go on for about a month.
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Orissa High Court against the order of the Odisha government to restrict Rath Yatras to the temple due to Covid. The petition said that the complete ban on religious rituals is “against the right of religion”.
The Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri is an annual festival and this time it is to be held on 12th JulyThe petition said that the Odisha government, in exercise of the powers vested in the Disaster Management Act, 2005, passed an order on June 10, allowing the Rath Yatra to be conducted as per the conditions laid down in the order passed by the apex court last year.