Puri Rath Yatra likely to be celebrated without devotees for 2nd year in row

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Covid-19 test positivity rate (TPR) has started dipping, the Odisha government is unlikely to allow devotees to participate in the Puri Rath Yatra, starting July 12. Like last year, the government will ban the congregation of the devotees during the Rath Yatra in all likelihood owing to the second wave of Covid.
The first indication about a restricted Rath Yatra has come from the government’s decision to prevent journalists and camera crew from doing live coverage of the festival to avoid any congregation.The government has decided to arrange for the live coverage of the festival through Doordarshan and share the feed with TV and web channels, free of cost.
"Like last year, the director, @dd_odia has been requested for live coverage of Snana Yatra, Gundicha Yatra, Bahuda Yatra, Suna Besha & Neeladri Bije and to provide common feed to recommended electronic media and web media channels free of cost," tweeted the government’s information and public relations department on Friday.
In the middle of the second wave of Covid, the Jagannath Temple administration has already started observing key festivals without the participation of devotees. The 42-day Chandan Yatra, which started on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on May 15, is being observed amid Section 144 of CrPC. Debasnan Purnima, too, is likely to be observed in the temple on June 24 without the congregation of the devotees.
“If the government decides to ban devotees from participating in the Rath Yatra, we will follow the same order and conditions set by the Supreme Court last year. Only a limited number of servitors, police personnel and temple staff, who would test negative for Covid-19, would conduct the Rath Yatra,” a senior district official said.
The fate of last year’s Rath Yatra had followed week-long speculations and moments of intense anxiety among devotees amid the pandemic. The Supreme Court, which had on June 18 last year, ordered the cancellation of the Rath Yatra in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, had modified its earlier order a day before the Rath Yatra on June 23 and granted permission to hold the annual festival without the congregation of devotees.
The Supreme Court’s June 18 order had sparked statewide public outcry and political slugfest with many hitting out at the state government for having failed to convince the SC to hold the Rath without the devotees. The state government had to change its stand under duress and had then assured to plead with the Supreme Court to not stop the age-old tradition.