The 21-day annual Chandan Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri will be held at the Narendra Pokhari from May 15 with strict adherence to all Covid-19 protocols. The general public will not be allowed to witness the ‘Chapa Khela’ ritual of the Lord.
Informing this, Puri district Collector Samarth Verma on Tuesday said that only 50 to 60 servitors would be allowed at the holy pond to perform the rituals. RT-PCR test of the participants would be conducted 72 hours before the festival. However, arrangements are being made for live telecast of the festival.
A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in this regard was issued later in the day following a Chhattisa Nijog meeting, he added.
District SP K Vishal Singh informed that around 10 platoons of police force would be deployed along the stretch from the Singhadwar to the Narendra Pokhari every day during the festival. Besides, prohibitory orders under Section-144 CrPC would be imposed around the pond. The decision on observance of the festival outside the Shreemandir had earlier been taken at a meeting chaired by Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Krishan Kumar on May 6.
Last year, the festival had been held in the temple premises without devotees owing to the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. Rituals of the festival were performed by servitors.
