LUCKNOW: With chief minister Yogi Adityanath having appealed to the people to perform puja during Navaratra at their homes and avoid religious gatherings, district authorities in Ayodhya expect that the Ram Navami snan and mela at Saryu river in Ayodhya on April 2 would remain a low-key affair. Navaratra begins on March 25.Amid concerns over the possibility of a large gathering on the occasion like previous years, a government spokesperson said the Ram Navami snaan was not organised by the state administration like the Kumbh Mela and the district authorities only take care of the crowd management.Additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Awasthi said the chief minister had already directed all the DMs to reach out to religious heads and ask them to postpone all religious congregations till April 23.Sources in the government said the border of Ayodhya district might me sealed on Ram Navami to restrict the crowd from outside. This apart, the administration may implement social distancing and allow a maximum of five people to move together in a group.“As it is people are not venturing out. The prime minister and the chief minister have appealed to the people not to venture out of their homes unless it is unavoidable. Under such a situation it should not be a problem if we restrict the snan for locals only,” said a senior official privy to the arrangements for crowd control under way in Ayodhya. Mahant Dinendra Das of Nirhmohi Akhara said every year a meeting of seers is held to finalise the schedule and events of the snaan and Ram Navmi Mela but this year the meeting has not taken place as it will lead to a gathering which may not be the right thing to do under the virus scare.“There is hardly any preparation in place for the mela and snan. Only a few barricades have come up so far. It is unlikely that any crowd would gather,” said Mahant Girish Pati Tripathi , head priest of Tewari Mandir near Tulsi Udyan in Ayodhya.Some seers, however, suggested that apart from a general appeal to stop religious gatherings, a specific appeal about Ram Navami Mela should be made. Acharya Satyendra Das, the chief priest of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple said: "The administration must make announcement about the cancellation.”Mahant Dinendra Das, the chief priest of Nirmohi Akhada and Trustee of Ram Mandir Trust, said: “Being the matter related to Lord Rama, it is also necessary to save the society from the threat and that is the responsibility of the government. In the interest of nation and the security of people I have have no objection if the administration decide to stop the mela.Mahant Yugal Kishor Sharan Shastri , chief priest of Saryu Kunj Temple the temple adjacent to Ramjanmabhoomi premises said it is a big threat of coronavirus around us, the local administration even today minimised the the gathering in the courts offices and even the district magistrate cancelled his meeting with public so the Ram Navami Mela must be immediately stopped and cancelled.