COVID-19 Impact: All engaged in Chariots construction for Puri Car festival to remain in isolation for 45 days
Puri/UNI: Over two hundred carpenters including black Smith's, roopakaras, Bhoi servitors, dorzis (tailors) and Biswakarmas engaged in construction of three chariots for annual Car Festival will remain in isolation for about fortyfive days.
They will be staying in three temple run hotels to keep them away from public and their families till the completion of the construction of three chariots.
The Health officials have been conducting thermal screening of the servitors everyday in the yard and collecting their health history.
Till now every servitor is found in good health, Sri Jagannath temple administrator development Ajay Kumar Jena said.
He said, personal kits were provided to each servitor and they were served breakfast, lunch, tiffin, dinner and face masks. Steps were taken to maintain social distance among them. For that they were provided transport from hotels to yard everyday.
The Progress in construction of chariots is gaining pace as the servitors were working in two shifts to make up twelve day delay in construction of the three chariots. They were working from 8 AM to till 10 PM and the entire yard has been illuminated for the purpose.
Traditionally the construction of chariots begins from Akshyay tritiya. This year it was delayed as the lockdown norms were in force and constriction started only after the clearance from the government, Jena said.
The Rath construction yard has been expanded by several yards to maintain social distance norms. It is ensured that everybody in the yard uses face masks.
The construction yard is barricaded and covered with cloth fencing while public were not allowed within a hundred metre from the yard. Outsiders even media persons are not allowed into the yard.
As per tradition on the Bhaunri (concluding day of the ongoing twentyone day Chandan yatra) three axles of three chariots would be fixed with six wheels.
Bhaunri falls on May 17 and the carpenters have already constructed the hubs and now fixing spokes on these while axles were being shaped to accommodate wheels, Sri Jagannath temple PRO L D Pujapanda said.
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