Puri: Allowing the famous Rath Yatra only in Odisha’s Puri, the Supreme Court put restrictions that need to be strictly abided during the festival.
Here are the important points that the Apex Court set:
- All entry points into the city of Puri, i.e., airports, railways stations, bus stands etc. shall be closed during the period of Rath Yatra festival.
- The State Government shall impose a curfew in the City of Puri on all the days and during all the time when Rath Yatra chariots are taken in procession. The State Government may also impose curfew in the city of Puri on such other days and during such time as deemed necessary.
- Each Ratha (Chariot) shall be pulled by not more than 500 persons. Each of those persons shall be tested for the Coronavirus. They shall be permitted to pull the chariot only if they have been found negative.
- There shall be an interval of one hour between two chariots.
- Each of those who is engaged in puling the chariot shall maintain social distancing.
- Only covid negative persons to take part in the execution of the rituals.
- The primary responsibility for conducting the Rath Yatra in accordance with the conditions and other norms shall be that of the Committee in-charge of Puri Jagannath Temple Administration.
- The rituals and the Rath Yatra shall be freely covered by the visual media. The State Govt shall allow TV cameras to be installed at such places as may be found necessary by the TV crew.
- The bare number of people shall be allowed by the committee to participate in the rituals and in the Rath Yatra.
- The State Govt shall may take such help as may be found necessary from the Union Govt.
- The State Govt shall maintain a record containing details of all those who have been allowed to participate in the Rath Yatra or the rituals connected therewith along with details of medical conditions after testing.
Ms Kalinga