Reopening Of Temples In Cuttack; Final Decision On Jan 7, Says Collector

Bhubaneswar: Even as temples in several parts of Odisha have reopened after a gap of almost nine months, devotees in Cuttack will have to wait a bit longer as a decision on reopening of the shrines is yet to be taken.

Cuttack Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani on Monday said that already the process of holding talks with various stakeholders is underway.

“Though there has been a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases, the fear is still not over. Hence, we are reviewing all aspects and will take appropriate decision on reopening of some temples in the district soon,” said Chayani.

Chayani further said a final decision regarding reopening of temples will be taken by January 7 as the administration will review the COVID-19 situation for next couple of days.

It is pertinent to mention here that major temples including Puri Jagannath temple had reopened in December last year. However, the devotees from different parts of the State and outside were allowed to have a darshan of the Holy Trinity from January 3, 2021.

As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has made COVID-19 negative report mandatory for devotees wanting to visit Srimandir for darshan of deities.