Durga Puja may well turn out to be an occasion without the usual festive fervour this year.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced organisers to keep their fingers crossed about hosting the puja, scheduled from October 22 to 26 this year, especially big-budget occasions.

In a meeting to discuss the Covid situation plan, Jamshedpur Durga Puja Kendriya Samity (JDPKS) and Purvi Singhbhum Central Durga Puja Samity (PSCDPS) expressed concern, saying the occasion would be low-key, with a lesser number of high-budget pandals.

They said social distancing is the core issue, but things depend entirely on how the situation pans out in the months to come, as the rising number of cases in East Singhbhum does not paint a bright picture.

A high-budget Durga Puja pandal by Jairam Youth Sporting Club at Adityapur, last year Bhola Prasad

Moreover, the onus would be on the district administration when it comes to granting permission for the festivities.

While JDPKS has 320 pujas organised by different samitis in the district to its name, PSCDPS supervises 488.

“Economy is in bad shape due to the virus. Nobody can predict how the situation would be in the coming months. We are keeping our fingers crossed at the moment,” said JDPKS general secretary Rambabu Singh, adding that the pandemic was certainly going to affect the puja this year.

He said, the number of big budget pandals would come down due to the shrinking economy.

“We think the occasion would be very low-key sans any excitement whatsoever,” Singh said.

Ambika Banerjee, Singh’s counterpart at PSCDPS, said social distancing will form an integral part of the discussion.

”Right now, it is difficult to predict how things will pan out in the months to come. However, the situation in the district is not good to say the least. At worst, pujas will be organised at temples with the presence of very few people. In a nutshell, the occasion would be sans the usual revelry,” he added.

Banerjee said they have called a meeting on June 15 to discuss the situation.

“Durga Puja is a huge occasion and there are logistics to be worked out. The festivity cannot be organised overnight. A lot of preparation is needed. The occasion may even have to be called off if the situation deteriorates further,” he said.

Both outfits said they would be discussing the puja-related issue with the district administration in due course of time.