Vendors ofpuja items clueless about guidelines

Prayagraj: Even as all temples of the city are reopening on Monday, owners of several makeshift shops selling flowers, prasaad, coconut and other puja paraphernalia are clueless about the guidelines issued by the state government regarding the same.
Small traders selling prasaad and other puja materials in Rambagh, Naini, Attarsuiya, Daraganj, Rajapur and other areas rued that sale has been vastly affected due to the lockdown. “If devotees continue to abstain from buying puja items, we won’t be able to run our households,” said Rajesh, a shopkeeper in Rambagh. Ironically, priests of many temples were also not aware whether the devotees would be allowed to take prasaad and other puja items with them. A chief priest of a prominent city temple said, “Things will be clear only after district authorities issue a guideline for devotees.”
“We, on our part, have sanitized the campus and placed hand wash and sanitizers at the entrance gate. Besides, volunteers will also be conduct thermal screening of devotees,” he added.