25 September,2009 08:32 AM IST | | Debarati Palit
Out of around 16 Durga puja pandals in the city, five have decided to use mineral water to prepare the bhog.
Pune is the epicentre of the swine flu pandemic and this is a new precaution by pandals after making use of gloves and masks compulsory.
Kalyan Dass, member of Kalyani Nagar Durgostav Samiti, said, "We are not using mineral water only for bhog, but also distributing 500ml bottles to each devotee, as nothing matters more than their health. We are taking these measures to keep swine flu at bay." The committee will use 1,000 litres of water on Saptami, Ashtami and Nabami for drinking and 2,000 litres for cooking.
Madhumita Ghosh, cultural secretary, Anandam Association in Wanowrie, which gets around 1,000 devotees per day, said, "We will be using around 1,500 litres of mineral water."
Rohit Tripathy, marketing manager, Bisleri International, said, "We have recorded a slight increase in sales this week, but it's difficult to give a figure. Our sales have gone up since the swine flu scare."
Filtered water
Some committees will use filtered water from Pune Municipal Corporation. Rajesh Burman, general secretary, Congress Bhavan, said, "PMC's filtered water is tested and will be further boiled at the pandal."
