Chhath Puja In Water Bodies Banned By Jharkhand Govt; Check Complete Guidelines For 'Mega Festival'

The Jharkhand Government has decided to ban Chhath Puja On Water Bodies this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

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New Delhi: In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Jharkhand government has made the move to ban Chhath Puja in waterbodies and have issued a set of guidelines for the day. The Jharkhand government citing the coronavirus pandemic issued a notification stating that there will be a ban in the Chhath Puja in water bodies as it will make maintaining 6ft distance close to impossible. The government fears that the practice of taking the holy bath together can increase the chances of transmission of infection. This is also the reason why swimming pools in Jharkhand have not been given the green signal to reopen. Jharkhand has seen a flattened curve when it comes to coronavirus, but it’s not over. Hence, this move has been taken as a precautionary measure. According to a PTI report, the State Disaster Management Committee has released guidelines for the day. Here’s the guidelines issued for Chhath Puja  1. Since it is not possible to ensure the compliance of national directive of social distancing norm of 'do gaz ki doori' while performing Chhath Puja in the waters of river pond/lake dam reservoir etc, therefore Chhath Puja in the waters of public ponds/lakes/rivers/dams/reservoirs/any other water body shall not be permitted so as to minimize the chances of spread of Covid-19 infection. 2. No stalls of any kind shall be set up by anyone on or near the banks of any public pond/lake/river/dam/reservoir/any other water body. 3. Earmarking/barricading/Special lighting of Chhath Ghats by individuals for the purpose of Chhath Puja is prohibited. 4. No bursting of firecrackers is permitted in public places. 5. There shall be no musical or any other entertainment/cultural program. Meanwhile, Members of the Janata Dal (United) (JDU) in Delhi and the Chhath Puja Sangharsh Samiti held a protest on Sunday at Jantar Mantar against the Delhi government’s ban on Chhath Puja reported ANI. According to the protesters, the Aam Aadmi Party-led government is ‘hiding its incapability’ as they failed to make proper arrangements for the celebrations.