Organisers of a crowd-puller Puja in Adityapur are crestfallen at the state government’s “11th-hour” guidelines that cap the height of idols at 4 feet since they have already ordered a pratima that is around 15 feet.

Fearing a confrontation with local authorities of Seraikela-Kharsawan district Jairam Sporting Club members decided on Saturday to meet chief minister Hemant Soren and seek special permission.

"The state government's 11th-hour directive on the idol height has put us in a piquant situation. Like every year, we have already placed orders for idols of Goddess Durga and her children with an artist in Calcutta. The idols, the highest of which is 15 feet, ready. We have also started setting up a pandal in accordance with the height of the idols. How can we be expected to alter the size of the idol now?” said Arvind Singh, president of Jairam Sporting Club.

The cub’s puja and thematic pandalS are a popular attraction of the Pujas and usually draw over three lakh pandal-hoppers during the four-day-long festival. The venue is barely 2km from the heart of Jamshedpur and a large number of steel city residents makes it a point to visit the Puja at Adityapur's M-type Colony.

Singh, a former Ichagarh legislator, promised to adhere to all Covid protocols specified by the state government. “We will follow the rest of the directives aimed at maintaining social distancing during the Puja. But it is extremely difficult for us to organise a smaller idol now,” Singh, popularly referred to as Malkan Singh, said.

He said when they meet the chief minister on Monday, they would request him to permit Jairam Sporting Club to go-ahead with the Puja as planned.

Om Prakash, president of Jan Kalyan Morcha and resident of Adityapur, agreed with Singh and said the state government should have issued Puja guidelines much earlier. "The local administration and the state government kept mum on Puja guidelines for a long time. What is the point of issuing a directive on the height of idols so late?” he said.

But the Seraikela-Kharsawan district police and administration seem to have decided to enforce the October 1 guidelines strictly. Sub-divisional police officer Rakesh Ranjan said no Puja committee would be allowed to violate the directives in Adityapur, Gamharia or anywhere in Seraikela.

"We will register cases under Section 188 of the IPC (violating government orders) if any Puja organiser is found to have violated the government's directive on any point," Ranjan said.