Odisha to take Rath decision on relevant date and in interest of public

BHUBANESWAR: With Puri Rath Yatra barely a week away and the pressure mounting on the government from different quarters to clear its stand on how the festival will be observed in the middle of the Covid-19 outbreak, the state government said it is closely watching the situation and will announce its decision at an appropriate time.
Keeping in mind the spread of the Covid-19 virus in Odisha, the state government is constantly monitoring the situation and any decision with regard to the holding of the Rath Yatra festival will be taken on the basis of the objective situation of the pandemic as on the relevant date and keeping in mind the interest of the public at large, read the state government’s recent counter affidavit in Orissa high court.
The government’s response (related to Rath Yatra amid the Covid-19 pandemic) was highlighted in the judgment passed by the bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Biswajit Mohanty on June 9, a copy of which was available on Saturday. While disposing of separate petitions filed by two persons, the court already left it to the state government to take a call on the Rath Yatra and consider the deployment of heavy machinery or elephants to pull the chariots.
Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on Monday said the Rath Yatra should be observed in accordance with the temple tradition. At the same time, the Hindu seer said the government’s Covid-19 guidelines should not be thrown to the wind. “I will give my advice if the government approaches me. Either they (government) can observe Rath Yatra by conducting all the rituals inside the temple or they can host the festival outside (as is the tradition) without the participation of devotees,” the Shankaracharya said. He, however, refused to comment on how the chariots would be pulled.
Notably, the Orissa high court’s order said the state government should adhere to the Covid-19 guidelines, including it’s (state government’s) own decision of the ban on social/political/sports/entertainment/academic/cultural/religious functions and other large congregations till June 30.
“The ban on the participation of devotees in Rath Yatra appears almost imminent. Our only worry is how to pull the chariots (if the government allows). Social distancing cannot be maintained during the Pahandi procession of deities from the temple on to the chariots and the pulling of the giant chariots. People, mostly servitors, are not in favour of using heavy machines or elephants to pull the chariots. We hope that a final decision will come within two days,” a temple official said.