Puri: The district administration today announced that restrictions which were imposed on conducting final rites at ‘Swargadwar’ have been lifted. Collector Balwant Singh said, from Monday (October 19) onward, the restrictions on cremation at Swargadwar have been relaxed for people belonging to districts other than Puri.
“People coming here for funeral of their near and dear ones need to follow COVID guidelines for their own safety and safety of others. Wearing masks, using sanitizers and social distancing needs to be followed. Families should try to limit the attendees at the funeral to 20 (persons),” he added.
The decision was taken in view of the decline in daily COVID-19 cases. Puri Municipality has been instructed to keep close watch on the cremations and ensure adherence of COVID guidelines.
Swargadwar is the sacred cremation ground in which holds spiritual significance for Hindus. It is beleived to be and also literally means, ‘gateway to the heaven’. COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in coronavirus cases in Puri had forced the administration to shut Swargadwar for people outside Puri district.
This decision was taken in the second week of July. Earlier this month, the restriction was extended to the end of October 2020. However, Puri has shown some promise in terms of drop in new COVID cases, following which the restrictions on Swargadwar have been lifted, the Collector said.
