PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Sept 16: Durga puja organisers in the Steel City are not happy with the state government’s directive of restricting idol height at 5 feet.
Functionaries of Jamshedpur Durga Puja Kendriya Samiti ( JDPKS ), the apex body which monitors the five-day Puja in the Steel City termed the government order as impractical.
“The government order has come at a time when a little more than a fortnight is left for the Puja. Most artisans have begun the work of making idols. Some of them have already completed making idols, only finishing touches are required to be given. Ar this juncture it is difficult for Puja organisers to cancel orders and for artisans to alter the size of idols. The Puja guideline should have come earlier, ” pointed out Ram Babu Singh, the general secretary of JDPKS.
The guidelines on Durga Puja were issued on Tuesday after a meeting of the state disaster management authority chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren in Ranchi.
Singh said they were contemplating to approach the state government for giving certain relaxation.
Jamshedpur hosts over 300 Durga Pujas, the largest in the eastern region after Kolkata.
The JDPKS senior functionary said they were also not happy with the government’s restriction on ‘bhog’ distribution and imposing a van on the entry of children inside the pandals.
“Bhog preparation is an integral part of puja ritual, how can we not distribute it to devotees who wait for it anxiously. The restriction on those under-18 from entering pandals is also impractical and unjustified as a large number of minors want to pay obeisance before Maa,” said Singh.
Notably, the disaster management department during the meeting allowed the construction of Durga Puja pandals but the entry of devotees would be prohibited at pandals and inside pandals, a maximum of 25 persons would be allowed.
Restrictions were imposed on fairs, welcome gates, illumination with fancy lights, cultural programs and immersion processions.
