The organising committee of a crowd-puller Durga Puja in Kasidih on Thursday appealed to people to not visit the pandal in view of the pandemic.

Abhay Singh, patron of Thakur Pyara Singh Dhurandhar Singh Club, said the Puja at Kasidih would be celebrated in a simple manner. “We will keep things to the minimum and strictly adhere to the guidelines of the state government. We have also fixed our own guidelines keeping in mind the precautions to be taken up in Covid times,” he added.

According to him, barring organising committee members, outsiders will not be allowed to enter the puja ground. “We are erecting a simple pandal to perform the ritual. I appeal to the people to not visit Kasidih during Puja. We cannot afford to risk the lives of our club members and local residents. I feel sorry to have to say this but I AM doing so in view of the spread of Covid-19 in Jamshedpur,” Singh, a senior BJP leader, said.

The puja at Kasidih attracts huge crowds. The idol, pandal, decorations and an accompanying fair, make it among the big-draw pujas of the steel city. Four roads and a number of alleys leading to the Puja pandal remain chock-a-block during all the four days of the festival.

Pandal hoppers from not only Jamshedpur, but also from surrounding areas, including Patamda and Potka, visit the Kasidih pandal. Revellers remain at the puja ground till the wee hours.

The Thakur Pyara Singh Dhurandhar Singh Club has issued a number of guidelines for the pujas. Only 25 members of the puja committee will be allowed inside the pandal, sanitisers will be available, members will wear masks and maintain social distancing, the height of the idol will be 4 ft , lighting will be done inside the pandal only, no cultural programmes will be organised and the ground will be sealed for outsiders.

Singh requested the district administration to barricade all roads leading to the puja for preventing entry of vehicles. A team comprising puja committee members would meet the district traffic wing shortly to finalise all details.