Zeashta Devi Prabandhak Committee (ZDPC) Tuesday announced deferment of celebrations of annual birth anniversary of Mata Zeashta in view of pandemic.
The annual celebration of birth anniversary of Mata Zeashta was scheduled to be held on 29 and 30 May, this year.
This is the occasion when hundreds of devotees throng the temple at Zeathyar Srinagar to offer special prayers.
Bharat Bushan Bhat, president ZDPC, told Greater Kashmir that the decision of deferment was taken in view of the health crises arising due to prevailing coronavirus epidemic.
“The COVID19 cases are on surge in Jammu and Kashmir. Advisories issued by health experts and prohibition orders by government are in public interest. So we decided to defer the annual celebrations,” he said.
He said the temple at Zeathyar has been closed earlier for regular prayers as well.
Bhat said that the open space and parks in the temple complex have also been declared as out of bounds for the visitors.
He said the committee has taken proactive steps to ensure implementation of preventive measures for containing the effects of this outbreak.
He said the Prabandhak Committee will actively cooperate and coordinate with the government and shall adhere to its orders to fight the virus.
“Our Muslim brethren recently celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr amid pandemic in J&K. They celebrated it within four walls to ensure no COVID19 protocol is violated. We all have to deliver collective responsibility to defeat the virus,” he said.
He added that every section of the society has to play their part to contain the virus.
The celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr this year would remain confined to four-walls inside homes with no congregational prayers and social gathering amid COVID19 lockdown.
With surge in COVID19 cases, District Administration Srinagar has declared several areas as containment zones and many localities as micro-containment zones in the summer capital to contain the virus.
COVID19 containment zone is an area where coronavirus positive cases have been reported. As a part of strategy to break the chain of virus, the entry and exit from the containment area remains temporary restricted.