HAILAKANDI, Sept 5 - Durga Puja, one of the biggest festivals in Assam, would be a low key affair this year due to the COVID-19 situation. In this regard, the Hailakandi district administration held a meeting with various puja committees on how to organise the celebrations amidst the pandemic.
Chairing a meeting on Friday, Deputy Commissioner Megh Nidhi Dahal urged the puja committees to keep the festivity low key. Underscoring the need for strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocol, Dahal urged the puja committees to avoid gatherings, and ask devotees to maintain social distance and wear masks.
The DC clearly stated that no one should be allowed to enter the puja premises without wearing masks or face covers and suggested that the puja committees either put up stalls on masks near the pandals so that people can buy them or distribute masks free of cost to the devotees.
Laying stress on the spiritual aspect of the celebration in view of the prevailing situation, Dahal said the puja pandals must be less decorated or illuminated and the deities must be installed at a vantage position so that devotees can pay obeisance from all corners. Dahal asked the puja committees to shun melas in and around the pandals to prevent gatherings.
The DC asked the puja committees to train sufficient number of volunteers who must undergo swab test and deploy them for regulating gatherings, traffic control and for security purpose, as the maximum number of police personnel are currently engaged with COVID-19 and law and order duties.
Dahal said there should not be any seating arrangements inside the pandals and that prasad must be distributed in an organised way to avoid crowding. He also asked the puja committees to restrict the use of loudspeakers till 10 pm as per the direction of the Supreme Court. The meeting was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioner RK Dam, Hailakandi Circle Officer Tridip Roy and other officials.
