Mumbai. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said that the places of worship of the state will be opened from Monday. These places of worship were closed after the lockdown was implemented in March. As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the state government, religious sites outside the containment zone of Kovid-19 will be opened. The time to open these will be decided by the authorities.
Uddhav issued a statement saying, we should not forget that the dreaded corona virus is still among us. However, it is slowly weakening, but we cannot be careless. Citizens need to be disciplined. The kind of discipline people showed during Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri and Eid needs to show the same kind of restraint.
Despite the process of unlocking in June, the BJP had targeted the Chief Minister several times to keep the places of worship closed. However, Uddhav defended his decision saying that maintaining physical distance at places of worship would be difficult. Therefore, they are being kept closed. He had said that although places of worship have been kept closed due to the epidemic, God is taking care of his devotees as doctors, nurses and other health workers.
After the decision of the state government, preparations are in full swing to open the famous Mumbadevi temple in Mumbai. Mambadevi temple manager Hemant Jadhav said that devotees would be allowed to visit the temple between 8:30 AM and 6 PM. Only five devotees will be allowed to visit the temple at one time. Preparations are also being made to open the Siddhivinayak temple. Every day a thousand devotees will be allowed to enter here.
The Sai Baba temple of Shirdi is also ready to welcome the devotees. A representative associated with the temple management said that devotees coming for the darshan will have to take time online. Apart from this, the corona negative report of RT-PCR test will have to be shown at the door at the time of entering the temple.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has said that the Maharashtra government’s decision to open religious places is not a victory or defeat for anyone. Talking to reporters, Raut said that there is no question of taking credit for it.
No decision on opening state monuments
Maharashtra Minister of State for Tourism Aditi Tatkare said that the state government has not taken any decision yet to open the historical monuments to tourists. A consortium of tourist guides wrote a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding that Ajanta, Ellora and other monuments be opened to tourists. The Sangh had said that due to the closure of the monuments, many people have reached a state of starvation.
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