To ensure peaceful and safe festivals in coming Shardiya Navratri, Vijayadashami and Chehallum, the state government on Sunday issued guidelines for maintaining the Covid protocol along with law and order.

According to the instructions given by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the COVID-19 meeting review held here on Sunday, guidelines have been issued to maintain law and order and communal harmony in view of Shardiya Navratri, Vijayadashami, Dussehra and Chehallum this year.

On the occasion of Navratri Durga puja and Vijayadashami/Dussehra festival and Ramlila staging and Chehallum, instructions have been given to ensure strict compliance with the instructions given by the government for the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the instructions issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi, it has been said that while granting permission for establishing Durga Puja pandal and Ramlila manch, care should be taken that normal traffic is not affected. The idols should be installed in the traditional but empty space, their size should be kept as small as possible and there should not be more people than the capacity of the ground. As much as possible small vehicles should be used for the immersion of idols and only a minimum number of people should be involved in the idol immersion programme. At the time of idol immersion etc, there should not be more than the prescribed limit and the rules of physical distance and wearing of masks must be followed. It should be ensured that no gathering of people exceeds the capacity at any religious place.

It has been said in the instructions that it should be ensured that the traffic is never obstructed and the suspicious vehicles should be checked by putting up barriers and police check posts and the rules of the Motor Vehicles Act should be strictly followed.

Along with this, special attention has also been given to public facilities like electricity, drinking water and cleanliness. The officers of the district and police administration have been directed to ensure that social and communal harmony is maintained on this occasion and security arrangements are ensured in such a way that no law and order problem arises. Mobile patrolling is to be done in sensitive areas and other places also.

Necessary instructions have been issued by the government to maintain law and order and communal harmony even on the occasion of Chehallum and to reduce the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The district administration has also been asked to grant permission with the condition that the Covid protocol is strictly followed.