Union Minister PratapSarangi urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to ensure consultations with Puri Shankaracharya, Gajapati Maharaja and others before the nature and scale of the annual Rath Jatra of Lord Jagannath is decided in view of the coronavirus outbreak.In a letter to the chief minister, Sarangi appreciated the efforts of the Odisha government in tackling the outbreak, stating that the state is striving to sensitise people to avoid crowded places and maintain social distancing.The Rath Jatra, which is scheduled to begin on June 23, is certainly going to be affected by the outbreak, in terms of the level of public enthusiasm and scale of participation, the Minister of State for MSME, and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in the letter.I sincerely believe that amidst restrictions, the festival should be organized as per the age-old divine traditions, reflecting the unity of mind and sense of purpose of all the stakeholders, the senior BJP leader from Odisha said.Stating that the Rath Jatra had deep and abiding emotional connect with the lives of the people of the state, Sarangi said it has been, since ages, shaping the unique cultural identity of Odisha.In this context, media reports about coronavirus casting a shadow on Rath Jatra celebrations have been deeply disturbing to the people of Odisha and also to the millions of devotees across the world, he said.I request you to kindly dispel all misgivings that emerge in the public domain by issuing clear-cut instructions to the authorities in Shree Jagannath Temple Administration to hold extensive consultations... in the light of prevailing situation before deciding the nature and scale of Rath Jatra celebrations this year, the Union minister said.He said the SJTA should hold extensive consultations with Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Gajapati Maharaja, scholars of Mukti Mandap, Daitapatis, temple servitors and others on the issue.Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singha Deb has also asked the state government to take an early decision regarding the festival this year in the wake of the prevailing situation caused by coronavirus outbreak.State Law Miniter Pratap Jena recently said the government would take a decision on the Rath Jatra soon.Meanwhile, the temple administration has received logs from Nayagarh and Ghumusar forest ranges for the construction of the three chariots for the trinity. Construction of chariots begins on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, which is on April 26 this year.
