Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Nov 16: Jamshedpur East legislator Saryu Roy has urged Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to amend the COVID-19 related guidelines instituted in view of the forthcoming Chhat festival. He suggested that being a major festival where the faith and belief of devotees were involved, the state government should review the guidelines in the manner issued by the Bihar state government for observance of Chhat rituals.
It is to be mentioned that the disaster management department of the Jharkhand government had on November 15 issued COVID-19 protocols for the Chhat festival which has had a demoralizing effect on devotees. Roy stated that not every devotee family had provisions for the dusk and dawn prayers to the sun and in the usual course, the rituals could only be performed on banks of rivers and lakes. However, the East Jamshedpur legislator suggested that a modification in the guidelines could be made. He suggested to the state government, “The guideline may be amended to the extent that the term…/any other water body may be substituted by the term…/any other natural water body. Mask be made compulsory at Arghya time and the devotee will take bath at the bank of the water body instead of taking dip in it.”