Dhanbad residents this year may have to enjoy Durga Puja in the dark.

The puja guidelines released by the government prohibit the use of lights outside pandals, causing consternation among organisers.

Samrat Chaudhary, a member of Luby Circular Road Puja Commitee said, “Ever since the puja began about 45 years ago, our committee is well known for organising attractive lighting during which the entire Luby Circular road of more than one km is decorated with beautiful lighting arrangement but we will not put any lighting this year except for the necessary lighting inside the pandal to make the idols visible.”

Chaudhary said the committee has been winning the best lighting award of the district for more than a decade.

“We are, however in a fix over the bhog preparations as without bhog, puja is very difficult to perfom although we will have to abide by the norms and bhog distribution among the pandal hoppers will not be carried out at any cost,” he said.

Echoing Chaudhary’s sentiments, Ganpat Mahto, Patron of Sri Sri Durga Puja Samiti, Saraidhela (Kolakusma) in Dhanbad said, “the visitors of our puja pandal are both from rural areas like Govidpur, Baliapur as well as urban centres of Dhanbad and elaborate lighting arrangement and extensive fair are the two major attraction for the people but people will miss both the attractions this year as any large gathering of people during fair etc will only lead to social distancing violation and resultant spurt in covid cases.”

“The Puja will be strictly restricted the Shiv Mandir Campus where a small pandal will be erected and lighting arrangement will be carried out only inside the Temple premises and not outside the campus like Dhanbad Govindpur which is carried out from Steel gate to Big Bazar side and also towards the Koylanagar campus” said Mahto.