NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, JUNE 17
The Gujarat government will decide whether to allow the annual Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad after assessing the coronavirus situation in the city, Minister of State for Home Minister Pradipsinh Jadeja said on Wednesday.
There are around 25 `micro-containment areas” from where 1,600 coronavirus patients have been reported along the route of the procession, Jadeja said in a statement.
The government’s priority was to control the spread of the coronavirus and save lives, he said.
“The issue of Lord Jagannath Yatra was taken up at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Wednesday. It has been decided that the procession will be allowed only after assessing the situation of coronavirus in the city,” he said.
“There are around 25 containment zones along the entire route of the procession. Success has been achieved in controlling the spread of the coronavirus and reducing mortality in these areas.
“The government’s priority remains controlling the spread of coronavirus to ensure that the lives of citizens are saved,” he said.
“Therefore, the decision will only be taken after considering the situation in the city,” Jadeja said.
“There are more than 1,600 patients along the route of the procession, and if social distancing norms are not followed, there is a possibility of a rise in coronavirus cases.
“Therefore, any decision regarding this will only be taken after consulting city administration, police chief and other leaders,” the home minister added.
The historical Rath Yatra (chariot procession) is organised annually by the Jagannath Temple in the city.
The tradition began in 1878, but this year it remains unclear whether the procession will be held on June 23.
Hundreds of priests pull the chariot of the idols of Hindu deities Lord Jagannath, Baldev, and Subhadra.
Thousands of devotees took part in the procession amid huge police presence, as it passes through some of the communally sensitive areas in the Old City of Ahmedabad, covering a distance of 14 km.
