Curbs imposed on 'Badayatra' in Odisha's Malkangiri district amid COVID surge

The 'Badayatra' festival will begin at Polur in Andhra Pradesh on March 22 following which the four deities will be brought to Maulima temple.
Representational image (File Photo | AP)
Representational image (File Photo | AP)

MALKANGIRI: Amid fears of COVID resurgence in the State, the Malkangiri district administration on Thursday imposed restrictions on celebration of biennial festival 'Badayatra' in the headquarters town. The festival is scheduled to be held from March 27 to 31. The curbs were put in place in view of the massive gathering witnessed during the festival in previous years. 

The 'Badayatra' festival will begin at Polur in Andhra Pradesh on March 22 following which the four deities - Kanamraj, Balraj, Potraj and Mutuyulamma (Jagyanseni) - will be brought to Maulima temple in Malkangiri town on March 27 in a huge procession.

Sources said more than one lakh people from states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh are expected to throng Malkangiri town for the celebration.  Such a huge gathering in the prevailing situation is likely to pose a major challenge for the administration to ensure smooth conduct of the festival while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.

A total ban has been imposed on animal sacrifice at different locations and Meena Bazaar (fair) at the tribal festival. Barricades will be set up for darshan of the deities. All the safety arrangements will be put in place under the direct supervision of the Collector and the festival will be celebrated in strict adherence to COVID-19 norms like maintaining social distance and wearing masks, informed Malkangiri tehsildar Gunanidhi Naik.

The district officials have been directed to enforce safety guidelines strictly during the celebration. An officials requesting anonymity said there is a possibility of explosion of Covid infections during the festival as more than one  lakh people are expected to enter the district headquarters town from different states.

It will not be possible on the part of the administration to screen every person coming from other states to attend the festival. Besides, crowd control and stopping mass animal sacrifice before the deities during the festival are a major challenge for police administration, he added.

Two new positive cases surface in Borrigumma

JEYPORE: Detection of two new COVID-19 cases in Borrigumma in last 24 hours has led to fresh fears of Covid resurgence. Official sources said, a person of Dulaguda and another from Nilakantheswar Marg in Borrigumma panchayat tested COVID-19 positive.

One is a direct contact of an infected person, while the other has a travel history to outside State. One has been put in home isolation and the other is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Cuttack.

Following detection of the fresh cases, the health administration has deployed medical staff in Dulaguda village and Nilakantheswar Marg to carry out disinfection and create awareness. Besides, Borrigumma police has also intensified enforcement of COVID rules.

SDPO of Borrigumma Harekrushna Majhi said a special drive is being carried out to ensure strict adherence to the safety guidelines in the panchayat. News of the fresh COVID cases has spread panic in the region. 

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