Ganjam dist administration asks priests about marriage or face FIR
Large-scale congregation at wedding ceremonies, community feats responsible for quick spread of pandemic
By Swagatika Bhutia
Berhampur, July 2: Odisha’s Ganjam district administration on Wednesday issued a directive that any priest conducting a marriage ceremony without prior official permission will face legal action.
The directive came after the administration received several reports that wedding ceremonies were happening in the district with much fanfare, disregarding the Covid-19 restrictions and guidelines.
Several reports of community feast with large crowds in attendance were also received by the district authorities.
In fact, the district administration found that wedding feats in the last three months had fair share in the spread of Covid-19.
With 1472 cases, Ganjam tops the list of Covid-19 affected districts in the state. It has also reported the highest number of 15 Covid-19 deaths. On Wednesday, of the total 251 new Covid cases, the district reported 102.
“First Information Report will be filed against priests who conduct wedding ceremonies without prior permission of the district administration,” the district authorities announced.
Ganjam, the home district of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, is one of the underdeveloped pockets in the state. Among all the 30 districts in the state, Ganjam has reported the large-scale reverse migration by guest workers. These guest workers who worked in Surat city of Gujarat, Mumbai and Tamil Nadu have been accommodated in Temporary Medical Centres (TMCs).
As apprehended by the Odisha administration, a sizable number of the guest workers have tested positive for Covid-19.
“What has come as a headache is defiance by some guest workers and villagers who slip away from TMCs and their homes to participate in community feasts and wedding ceremonies, risking their own life as well as others. So, it was an imperative on the part of the district administration to issue such a directive to discourage people from hosting large wedding parties,” an official of the district administration said.
The Odisha government has allowed participation of 50 persons in a wedding ceremony.
