Bhubaneswar, Dec 15 (PTI) The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities on Tuesday said that no New Year's Eve bash will be allowed in the Odisha capital due to the COVID-19 pandemic while churches are permitted to celebrate the Christmas festival adhering to safety norms.

The famous Lingaraj Temple was allowed to reopen on December 27 for servitors and their family members, BMC Commissioner P C Chaudhury said.

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"Keeping in view the request made by different churches, the BMC has made special provision for the Christmas. The church authorities will inform the BMC on the space available on their premises and the number of people to attend the prayer. They will be asked to maintain social distancing," Chaudhury said.

Earlier, the Odisha Chapter of the All India Christian Council wrote to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking permission to reopen churches for prayer on the Christmas day.

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"No celebration is allowed as of now (on December 31). The state governments December COVID-19 guideline strictly prohibits any social, cultural or religious gathering during the month," the BMC commissioner said.

Though the BMC allowed churches to observe the Christmas festival in Bhubaneswar, the state government has bestowed the power on taking a decision in this regard on district magistrate-cum-collectors in their jurisdictions keeping in view the prevailing pandemic situation.

On the opening of other religious places in the state capital which has more than 700 temples, Chaudhury said that Shri Lingaraj temple, the 11th century Shiv Peeth, will open its doors to servitors from December 27.

"The temple will remain closed on January 1 and 2, 2021. During the next three days, darshan will be limited only for Bhubaneswar residents but they will have to furnish recent Covid-19 negative reports. General darshan by devotees will begin from January 6," he said.

For Covid-19 management during the general darshan, a screening team will be engaged at the shrine while a testing centre will function from 7 am to 10 pm, he said.

He said all other religious institutions in Bhubaneswar will also be allowed to reopen from January 3 but under certain conditions.

All religious institutions and places of worship across the state remain closed since March in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)