UP Govt Cancels Rama Navami Celebrations In Ayodhya

Lucknow: The Shri Rama Navami celebrations in Ayodhya were cancelled by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh on Friday in view of the COVID-19 outbreak. For days now, there has been speculation about the large number of people who would have congregated in Ayodhya for the Sri Rama Navami festival celebrations and this important decision comes as a relief to the officials who were wary of the feasibility of a large gathering in Ayodhya.

Significantly, this would have been the first Sri Rama Navami festival after the Ram Mandir Trust was formed following the landmark Supreme Court judgement. The district administration of Ayodhya is reported to have told the higher-ups in government that it would not be feasible to hold the Shri Rama Navami celebrations in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh had planned Shri Rama Navami celebrations on a grand scale in view of the fact that the Ram Mandir trust has been formed and its construction is scheduled to begin.

Experts have welcomed the UP government's decision to cancel the Shri Rama Navami celebrations. The event would have been a major health scare, they point out. In this context the decision of the UP government to give precedence to public health is being hailed by all sections of society.

It would be pertinent to point out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Thursday advised all citizens to practice social distancing and avoid gatherings of any kind be the social, cultural or religious.