KOLKATA: Releasing 11-point guidelines for Durga Puja this year, the state government on Tuesday announced that the Red Road immersion carnival will not be held for the second consecutive year due to the pandemic.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier said on the day of Durga Puja coordination meeting at Netaji Indoor Stadium, that the decision on Red Road Carnival will be taken later. It has been stated in the guidelines that 'in the context of the pandemic and the need to maintain physical distancing norms, the state immersion carnival shall not be held this year.' Melas and carnivals near Puja pandals won't be allowed as well.
The state government has already announced the lifting of night restrictions from 11 pm to 5 am during Durga Puja (from October 10 to 20) allowing night-long pandal-hopping. At the same time, it has been clearly stated in the guidelines that "cultural programmes on or near the Puja pandal premises shall not be allowed".
Moreover, like the previous year, pandals have to be spacious and should be kept open from all sides to ensure implementation of physical distancing norms. If it becomes essential to have a closed ceiling, the sides will have to be kept open.
The entry and exits also have to be separate. Floor marking to ensure physical distancing is mandatory, besides the use of masks and sanitiser at the Puja mandaps. Puja organisers have to deploy an adequate number of volunteers to ensure compliance of the set norms.
"Keeping in view the health safety of the participants, anjali, prasad distribution or 'Sindoor Khela' should be organised in a planned and staggered manner with smaller groups. Priests should use microphones so that the sound reaches devotees standing even in the farthest corners and people do not have to assemble in close proximity. Devotees may be encouraged to offer anjali with flowers brought from their homes so that collection points in the pandals do not become congested," the guideline reads.
Besides stressing the use of electronic and social media to avoid overcrowding, judgment related processes also have to be low key. Not more than two cars of judges at a time should be allowed to visit a pandal and their visits should be confined from 10 am to 3 pm.
Virtual 'judging' of the Pujas should be preferred. Similarly, inaugurations and immersions should be low key and ghats should be sanitised before immersion.
Permission for Durga Puja will also take place online. State Fire and Emergency Services department and local bodies shall not charge any fees to give approval and 50 per cent concession should be provided by power utilities. As the Chief Minister has already announced one-time financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to each Puja organiser, the state Finance department has sanctioned Rs 201.91 crore grant to at least 40,382 organisers.
Meanwhile, Covaxin, India's indigenously developed Coronavirus vaccine, may be cleared by the World Health Organisation as early as next week when the UN agency and an independent group of experts meet. This comes almost a week after WHO delayed the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) for Covaxin as the global body sent more technical queries to its manufacturer, Bharat Biotech.
"WHO & an independent group of experts are scheduled to meet next week to carry out the risk/benefit assessment and come to a final decision whether to grant Emergency Use Listing to Covaxin," WHO tweeted on Tuesday evening.
Bharat Biotech "has been submitting data to the WHO on a rolling basis and submitted additional info at WHO's request on 27 September," another tweet read.
"WHO experts are currently reviewing this info and if it addresses all questions raised, the WHO assessment will be finalised next week."
India logged 18,346 new infections, the lowest in 209 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,38,53,048, while the active cases declined to 2,52,902, the lowest in 201 days, according to the Union Health ministry data updated on Tuesday.
The death toll climbed to 4,49,260 with 263 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.