Puri: As many as four Auxillary Nurse Midwife (ANM) workers were caught entering the Puri Jagannath temple on Tuesday without having been granted a permit from the authorities.
The four ANM workers have been placed under suspension by the Puri CDMO for allegedly entering Srimandir without any prior permission. They were reportedly deployed at the Singhadwar to conduct thermal screening of the devotees visiting the 12th-century shrine.
In view of the risk posed by the pandemic, the Srimandir which reopened on December 23 after a nine-month hiatus allowed phase-wise entry of public for darshan of the Holy Trinity.
Family members of the Sevaks were allowed to have darshan from December 23-25, 2020, then from December 26-31, the residents of Puri Municipality area have been allowed entry to the temple.
After a hue and cry, working professionals, as well as tenants in the pilgrim town, were also given an opportunity to visit Srimandir. Those who have been allotted entry tokens can visit Srimandir from Tuesday (December 29), informed SJTA administrator (development) Ajay Kumar Jena.
The temple would remain closed for public darshan between January 1 and January 2, 2021, to prevent a congregation of a large number of devotees as is expected on New Year Day every year, a move which was initiated to avoid any spike in the transmission of COVID-19. From the 3rd of January, all devotees would be allowed entry for darshan of the Lords.
The Puri district administration has also issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for hassle-free darshan of Mahaprabhu Jagannath and His siblings.
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