The sarkari Durga Puja in Seraikela will be a befitting tribute to Indian secularism this year.

Basharat Qayoom, 29, an IAS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre who took charge as Seraikela SDO three days ago, will officiate the five-day Devi rituals to honour a decades-old tradition.

“The custom here (in Seraikela) is that whoever becomes the SDO, he (or she) by default becomes the chief of rituals. He is known as the korta. I feel privileged and will play my part responsibly,” Qayoom told this newspaper.

On Friday morning, the SDO summoned the director of Government Chhau Centre, Tapan Patnaik, who also looks after Puja arrangements, and instructed him to have the Durga temple painted ASAP and place the order for flowers that will be required in bulk for pushpanjali every day, from Mahasashthi on October 15 to Mahanavami on October 19.

The IAS officer conceded that sitting through hours-long rituals daily would be a test of patience for him. “It will be a new experience, but challenging no less. I am hoping to cope well,” he said with a smile.

Chhau centre director Patnaik said the government-sponsored Seraikela Durga Puja in Seraikela-Kharsawan district, 35km from Jamshedpur, was organised by a 10-member committee of eminent citizens led by the SDO.

“The system has been prevalent since 1950, when the princely states of Seraikela and Kharsawan were merged. It was agreed upon that the SDO in office would perform the rituals, but the same has been difficult for many in the past given the fact that they had to maintain law and order as well,” he said.

The temple Puja budget this year has been raised to Rs 1.06 lakh.

“Last year, our Durga Puja budget was Rs 96,000. Owing to implementation of GST, we faced problems meeting the expenses. Hence, we had sent a requisition to the government to increase the budget by Rs 10,000,” Patnaik said, adding that they hoped to host yet another memorable festival.