DC Cachar issues new SOP for Durga Puja in Cachar; temporary pandals not allowed

Oct. 14: Finally, Cachar District Administration has come up with revised Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), as per which, all hopes of conducting puja in temporary pandals were permanently sealed. Durga Puja will be allowed only in permanent concrete sthapit Mandir or Mandap.

In view of ongoing pandemic and with a feeling to celebrate the festival of Durga Puja and considering the seriousness and reality of the pandemic situation, the Cachar District Administration has partially modified its earlier order issued on 2 October, 2020 and come up with a new Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on 14 Oct. 2020 for celebration of Durga Puja, 2020. This advisory is prepared with an intention to safeguard the life of each individual residing in Cachar District from COVID-19 pandemic and to contain the further spread of virus.

Places where Durga Puja will be allowed:

• Idol puja celebration will only be allowed in places where the puja committee has permanent concrete Sthapit Mandir or Mandap. Temporary construction of puja pandals will not be allowed.
• Puja committees are allowed to open the mandaps/ mandir at 5.00 AM in the morning and are requested to shut down (with barricades) by 10 PM starting from Panchami to Navami.

Puja rituals & other responsibilities of Puja Committees:

• Distribution of wet prasad to devotees by any Puja Committee is strictly prohibited.
• Devotees willing to offer puja items(other than edible ones) to the deities will have to enrol themselves way ahead before the puja starts with concerned puja committee and hand over the same prior to the start of Sashthi (First Day of Puja) following all sanitisation protocols.
• Devotees willing to offer puja items (edible ones like sweets, fruits, vegetables, etc) to the deities will have to enroll themselves way ahead before the puja starts with concerned puja committee and hand over the same in the form of cash(to be purchased by puja committee members) before the start of Sashthi(First Day of Puja).
• All Puja committees should engage adequate number of volunteers to maintain discipline/ physical distancing and other norms related to COVID-19.

• Each puja committee should have a temperature screening team.
• Each puja committee will have to mandatorily sanitise the entire area after every 6(six) hours.
• Strict Compliance of social distancing wearing mask, etc are to be maintained.
• Adequate Numbers of sanitizers is to be kept at the entrance of every Puja Pandal.
• All the Committee members and concerned workers including the priest will have to invariably undergo RAT testing.
• The Puja Committees will arrange for proper sanitization & thermal screening of the devotees before entering the Puja Pandals.
• Puja Committees will ensure safe electrical wiring to prevent any untoward incident. They should take fire safety measures.

Bisarjan/ Immersion on Dashami:

• No immersion/ bhaasan rally/ Procession will be allowed.
• Time limit for each idol immersion will be notified and each puja committee & families undertaking idol puja will have to apply at the Office of District Disaster Management Authority, Cachar and time slot for each immersion will be provided from there itself. Puja Committees & families undertaking idol puja will have to mandatorily do the immersion at given time slot.
• Public gathering in the ghat will not be allowed.
• Not more than two (2) Committee will be allowed in to the ghat at a given point of time.
• To avoid crowd an extended visarjan process will be adopted, which will continue 1 or 2 day after the day of Dashami also. Puja committee’s will get their allotted day of visarjan based on the application made by them.

Others:

• Persons with co-morbidities, persons above 65 years of age and children are requested to not venture out during Durga Puja.
• All puja samithis are requested to take care of the Idol makers and contribute towards their livelihood and well-being through the donations collected.
• Accumulation of crowd at any place will not be allowed.
• Wearing of mask and maintaining physical distance will be mandatory for all (devotees/ puja committee members/ all others).
• No Mela / Cultural Events competitions in connection with the celebration of puja will be allowed.
• The Puja Committee will not allow any vendor, temporary tea stalls /chat house etc in the vicinity of the Puja Pandal.
• Miking will be allowed only from within the Pandals in permissible decibels. No moving Speakers/DJ shall be allowed.

• All puja committees/mandirs are requested to use Social Media Platform to live stream the rituals of puja to devotees at the comfort of their homes. Here leading local TV Channels may also engage themselves in live streaming puja from puja committees/ mandirs.
• Each puja committee will have to mandatorily sanitise the entire area after every 6(six) hours.
• Strict Compliance of social distancing wearing mask, etc are to be maintained.
• Adequate Numbers of sanitizers is to be kept at the entrance of every Puja Pandal.
• All the Committee members and concerned workers including the priest will have to invariably undergo RAT testing.
• The Puja Committees will arrange for proper sanitization & thermal screening of the devotees before entering the Puja Pandals.
• Puja Committees will ensure safe electrical wiring to prevent any untoward incident. They should take fire safety measures.
• Miking will be allowed. Mega speakers/ mobile speakers will not be allowed. Only dhaakis for puja will be permitted.

• Movement of two wheelers will be restricted with pillion riding allowed for women and children.
• Immersion ghats will be segregated for idol immersion all throughout the district.
• All loose materials/items that may pollute the water or stagnate water flow should be removed and collected before immersion of puja.
• Local Police and Volunteers will have to take the following steps-a) Keeping close watch on suspicious objects and persons especially during the celebration of the festival. b) Frisking of suspicious persons as and when felt necessary. c) Vigil is required to be taken over circulation of communally provocative material on social media & cyber space to block such objectionable contents. d) Concrete steps are also to be taken to keep a tab on the Rumour mongers so as to maintain social communal harmony. e) PSE should strictly adhere to this instructions and take all preventive and precautionary measures from their end to ensure that no untoward incident takes place within the district during celebration of festival .