Durga Puja pandals to remain off limits for revellers this year

Ranchi: With cases of Covid-19 growing in Ranchi, the city’s prominent Durga Puja committees on Sunday unanimously agreed to keep the revelry low this year. Their pandals would be smaller in size and remain closed for public to avoid transmission the virus.
Till Sunday morning, the district recorded 2,262 cases (highest in the state) of which 1,702 are active and 25 died of the virus.
The Ranchi District Durga Puja Committee (RDDPC), the umbrella body of around 250 organisers of the state capital, also agreed upon a slew of measures with an aim to host a low-key celebration this year.
Munchun Rai, president of Ranchi Railway Station Durga Puja Committee, said, “It was agreed that no committee will allow visitors inside the pandals. However, keeping with the tradition, only priests will carry out the rituals. The pandals will not be extravagant this year and will be just enough to carry out the rituals.”
Ashok Purohit, the president of RDDPC and chairman of Rajasthan Mitra Mandal Puja committee, said it was agreed that no pandal will be built and no idols above three feet will be worshipped. “The decision has been taken to avoid physical contact during immersion. Bigger idols need more hands for immersion,” Purohit said.
Many prominent puja committees, which also organise fairs alongside their pandals to draw crowd, will refrain from doing so this year. “No vendors, rides and other makeshift shops will be allowed around the pandal premises. While visitors will not be allowed, revellers will not be allowed to offering pushpanjali,” Purohit said.
While revellers will be barred, most of the city’s puja committees will take the online route. “Virtual tour of pandals and aarti will be arranged so that revellers can sit at home and be a part of the rituals,” a member of the Bakri Bazaar puja committee said.
Purohit said RDDPC will formally intimate about their resolution to the district administration and the chief minister’s office soon. “A review of the situation will be done in September,” he added. This year, Durga Puja begins on October 22.
As per estimates of RDDPC, the 250-odd puja committees spend around Rs 25 crore on an average every year for building their theme-based pandals, deities, lightings, decorations and other paraphernalia. Thousands of workmen from Jharkhand and neighbouring states work for weeks on these structures. During the five-day festivities, the fairs and other entertainment activities provide source of incomes for approximately 4,000 people.