Covid-19 has cast its shadow over Bengaluru Karaga, the city’s flagship festival, for the second year in a row.
While the festival was officially banned last year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will decide whether to allow it to take place this year later this month. The festival, which is affiliated with the Thigala community, is set to take place from April 19 to 27 and attracts thousands of devotees each year.
According to sources, the second wave of Covid-19 infections has placed authorities in a bind on whether or not to approve the event due to pressure from local elected officials. BBMP commissioner Gaurav Gupta and other officials met on Monday to discuss the matter and promised that a decision would be made soon.
The 350-year-old Karaga procession, which signals the end of the more than week-long festival, was not held for the first time last year.
Before any decisions are made, and also Utsava committee must be created, with an administrator appointed from the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowment Department. The second Covid wave, according to Bengaluru urban district deputy commissioner J Manjunath, will be considered when a decision is made.
Karnataka recorded over 5,000 new Covid-19 cases and 32 related deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of infections to 10.20 lakh and the death toll to 12,657. A total of 1,856 patients were discharged from the hospital on that day.
On Monday, 3,728 new cases were registered in Bengaluru Urban alone, out of a total of 5,279 new cases reported.
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