Municipal corporations of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday has banned celebrations of chhath puja at public places and near water bodies, in view of COVID-19.
Chhath puja, a festival dedicated to the Sun god, is mainly observed by the people who originally hail from Bihar, Jharkhand and bordering areas in Uttar Pradesh, and it will be celebrated on November 20.
In the past, the annual festival used to see large numbers of devotees thronging prominent beaches, river banks and other water bodies to make offerings to Sun god at sunrise and sunset.Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday appealed to north Indians residing in the state to celebrate the 'Chhath Puja' in a low-key manner, considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Meanwhile Pune reported 384 new coronavirus cases, taking its caseload to 1,65,426 on Wednesday. In the neighbouring twin-city of Pimpri Chinchwad, 158 COVID-19 cases were reported on November 18, taking the COVID-19 cases tally to 89,956. With four fatalities, the death toll in the twin-city reached 1,573 on Wednesday.