Safety norms thrown to the wind in Odisha, administration mum

MALKANGIRI: The fear of Covid-19 explosion has gripped Malkangiri district with enforcement agencies turning a mute spectator to the brazen violation of safety guidelines during celebration of the biennial tribal festival ‘Badayatra’.

On Thursday, over 200 people gathered at Kalimela in violation of the guidelines to carry the four deities Kanamraj, Balraj, Potraj and Mutuyulamma (Jagyanseni).

None of them including the priests was seen wearing masks while social distancing norm was openly flouted.

The deities had arrived at Kalimela from Polur in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday as part of the Badayatra festival.

With the ground reports belying the tall claims of the district administration of conducting the festival in strict adherence to safety norms, questions are being raised on the role of enforcement agencies in controlling the crowd and preventing another outbreak of coronavirus during the celebration.

The deities will halt at Kangrukonda on Thursday night and reach Malkangiri town on Saturday.

Adding to the panic, hundreds of people from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Chhattisgarh have reportedly reached Malkangiri in the last two days to witness Badayatra through the porous inter-State borders.

It was reported that people present at Polur to witness the bath of the deities in Tadka river openly violated the Covid norms.

Besides, those at Manyamkonda also flouted the safety protocols when the deities reached there. With no restriction on movement of people from the other side of the border, it is apprehended that Covid cases may rise in Malkangiri in absence of strict surveillance and enforcement.

A district official requesting anonymity said huge gatherings of people at public places in Malkangiri town during the four-day stay of the deities cannot be ruled out.

Though night curfew has been imposed till March 31 as a preventive measure, it is not enough to prevent large congregations.

The ‘Badayatra’ festival, which began at Polur in Andhra Pradesh on March 22, will continue till March 31.

The deities will reach Maulima temple in Malkangiri town on March 27 in a huge procession and again leave for Manyamkonda on March 31.

Three prisoners infected

Jeypore/Bhawanipatna: Three inmates of Jeypore Sub-Jail tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. They were lodged at the isolation ward of the jail with seven other prisoners.

Sources said a prisoner was brought to the isolation ward on March 20. Though he had tested negative during swab testing, the RTPCR test carried out later revealed he was positive.

This prompted the jail authorities to conduct test on the rest of the inmates in the isolation ward and three turned out to be positive.

Jailer LB Das said all the infected inmates have been kept in isolation. Safety norms are being strictly followed in the prison to check further spread of the virus. Meanwhile, seven persons tested positive across Koraput district on the day.

A jawan of CoBRA unit in Sunabeda was among those infected. In Bhawanipatna, six positive cases were detected in Kalahandi district on Thursday. In the last one month, 42 positive cases have been detected in the district.