Maha Shivratri: Sec 144 Clamped At Vedvyas Temple In Odisha’s Rourkela

Rourkela: In view of possible spread of COVID-19 due to congregation for Maha Shivratri on Thursday, the local administration on Wednesday imposed prohibitory order under Section 144 of CrPC around Vedvyas temple in the city.

An official order on the guidelines issued by deputy collector of Panposh stated that Section 144 has been imposed in a radius of 500 metre of the Shiva temple and ‘Melana’ ground in Vedvyas to prevent the COVID-19 infection from spreading among devotees during the Maha Shivratri on March 11.

The prohibitory order will remain in force from 3 pm of March 10 to 5 pm of March 12. The devotees have been told to refrain from congregating on the premises of the temple or outside on the day.

However, the rituals of the deities of the temple will be carried out as usual by the priests following the guidelines strictly, the order stated. They must wear face mask, maintain a distance of 6 feet and clean their hands with sanitiser during the rituals, the deputy collector said.