A conglomerate of over 300 Durga Puja committees in Ranchi has decided to deliver bhog at the doorsteps of people staying in the vicinity of various pandals and is set to seek permission for it from the government, puja organisers said on Wednesday.

Members of the umbrella body of Durga Pujas in the state capital, the Ranchi District Durga Puja Committee (RDDPC), said on Wednesday that all member pujas would follow all precautionary measures and ensure contactless delivery of bhog to residents of Ranchi.

The president of the committee, Ashok Purohit, said that representatives of various puja committees in the city will soon meet concerned officials of the district administration and float their demand for home delivery of bhog.

“Pujas cannot happen without offering bhog to Maa. We cannot throw out that bhog. It has to be consumed by devotees,” said Purohit, adding that various puja committees will take the responsibility of delivering bhog to the houses in the vicinity of their pandal.

“When we can allow Swiggy and Zomato deliver food from restaurants, then why can’t we allow puja committee members to home deliver bhog?” asked Purohit.

Members of the committee met chief minister Hemant Soren a day before the government issued its guidelines for Durga Puja celebrations. However, the committee members did not know then that the government would prohibit distribution of bhog and installation of loudspeakers during puja.

“If we knew that the government was planning to prohibit distribution of bhog and playing mantras on loudspeakers, then we would have asked the government to make amendments in the guidelines the very day we met the CM,” Purohit said.

The Mamata Banerjee-led government in neighbouring West Bengal has left it to puja organisers to decide how they wanted to distribute bhog. Ranchi committee members said they were expecting revised guidelines from the Jharkhand government in the next 48 hours.

The committee has also assured the government that all puja committees would take additional precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during the four days of Durga Puja.

“We would never want to be blamed for the spread of the virus. Therefore, we will be taking additional precautionary measures during those four days,” said Ramesh Singh, a member of the Chandrashekhar Azar Puja Committee in Ranchi.