Bhubaneswar, April 9 -- Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday issued detailed guidelines for the upcoming Ashokastami Car Festival of Lord Lingaraj at Bhubaneswar, to be observed on April 20.

The guidelines were issued following a high-level meeting among relevant stakeholders of the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar today. Senior BMC official said that the entire festival will be celebrated with strict observance of the present Covid-19 protocols.

As per the guidelines, all Sevayats shall have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR tests 48 hours before the Car Festival and Return Car Festival. Only those Sevayats testing negative for Covid-19 can participate in the festival. Moreover, no devotee will be allowed to parti...