Covid curbs lifted, marriage processions back in Silk City

BERHAMPUR: Marriage processions with band and baaja, which were prohibited because of Covid-19 restrictions, returned to the streets of the Silk City on Sunday following the commencement of the wedding season and relaxation of curbs by the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC)
Marriage processions have been allowed in the BeMC area with a maximum of 50 people following an improvement in the pandemic situation in the district as well as state.
Necessary permission for using sound has to be taken from the authorities concerned, said Siddheswar Baliram Bondar, BeMC commissioner, in a tweet on Sunday. The participants have to follow Covid-19 guidelines, including maintaining social distance and wearing masks, sources said.
Ceremonies like marriages which were held up for Chaturmas - the four months of Shravan, Bhadra, Ashwin and Kartik in the Hindu calendar - started from Sunday.
On the first day of the wedding season, there were a number of marriage processions in the Silk City. "We are very happy and hope that the industry, which was in the doldrums due to the pandemic for several months, will be on the path to revival," said Raju Das, a bandmaster. Folk artistes were also delighted to participate in the processions.