MUZAFFARGARH: The district administration has withdrawn no objection certificates (NOCs) for six annual Urs gatherings and circus troupers here.

On Saturday, Deputy Commissioner Amjad Shoaib Tareen issued the orders for cancellation of Urs gatherings after a letter from the Punjab government through the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department in the wake of the recent upsurge of Covid-19 in Punjab.

The six public gatherings whose NOCs were revoked include: annual Urs of Khanqah Naqsh Bandia in Alipur, Urs mela of Peer Hazrat Abdullah Shah Bukhari in Chowk Karam Dad Qureshi, and circus shows at Qureshi Mor, Sarkar Laanlan Wali, and Rangpur.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Ihsaan issued a notification asking the police to be on alert.

In the mid of March in Muzaffargarh, three Urs gatherings are held where thousands of devotees invoke the blessings of saints and have a fun time with their children.

The Urs administrations said they had made arrangements to celebrate the occasions as the celebrations could not be held last year due to coronavirus-related lockdown. They were happy when the district administration issued NOCs for the gatherings.

This correspondent visited Karam Dad Qureshi and saw 70 makeshift shops had been set up along roads while and the manager of Lucky Irani Circus said that they were observing SOPs in shows.

He said the lockdown caused a huge financial loss to them and their workers. He said he had paid rent to the landowner.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2021