Post News Network
Kendrapara, Nov 3: The two-day long immersion ceremony of Gajalaxmi festival began Monday on a sombre note in Kendrapara as two artistes of a Berhampur-based music troupe suffered critical injuries after two large speakers fell on them while they were preparing for a performance.
The artistes were hired by Kesharpur Laxmi Medha Monday morning and were loading the speakers on to a vehicle when the incident occurred.
The duo was initially rushed to the district headquarters hospital. However, one of them was shifted to Cuttack while another was admitted to an ICU of a private hospital in Bhubaneswar as his condition was said to be in danger.
All the pandals left their puja mandaps as per the scheduled time decided by the district administration and began traversing towards the immersion ground at Old Bus Stand. This year in township area, as many as 46 pandals are coming to the immersion ground, stated Purna Chandra Pradhan, Kendrapara SDPO.
The two-day immersion started from 9 am Monday and will be completed in the wee hours of Wednesday. It has been directed to all the puja organizers to bring their respective idols to the ground before Tuesday morning. Later, ‘prasad’ will be offered to all the idols Tuesday at the ground and after that the idols will go for immersion ghats one after the other as per a draw system adopted by the district administration. The administration has also set up two temporary ponds in the township area for immersing the idols as the court has directed to immerse earthen idols by setting up temporary ponds to restrict water pollution in the river.
Keeping in mind that traffic jams generally occur from Balagandi to Santasahi bridge on the first day of immersion while the idols go to take prasad to Keshapur bazaar, the district administration has provided alternate route to some of the idols. They will go to Keshpur bazaar via Khadinga – Ekanakhandi road.
The district administration has allowed the puja organizers to play loudspeakers and to conduct procession with brass bands till 12 am during the two-day long ceremony. The district administration has made it clear to the puja organizers that high decibel loudspeakers more than 65 decibels would not be allowed failing which cases would be registered against them in keeping with a Supreme Court order.
However, this diktat has been thrown to the winds with the law enforcing departments along with the district administration remaining a mute spectator to the state of affairs.
Members of all puja committees in the area are being asked by the police department to lend a helping hand to the police to make this year’s Laxmi Puja immersion incident-free, informed Pradhan.
The district police has ensured tight security in order to ensure that the immersion ceremony passes off smoothly. At least 20 platoons of police have been deployed for maintaining law and order. Kendrapara SP Nitinjeet Singh has been monitoring law and order during the ongoing immersion whereas one ASP, 7 DSPs, more than 17 inspectors, 105 SIs/ASIs and other police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order and oversee traffic management. The district police has also opened five temporary police outposts in the town to maintain law and order whereas more than a dozen armed picket posts have been opened by the SP in sensitive places in the township areas during immersion.
A special police squad has been formed to nab eve-teasers and anti socials who might create disturbances during the immersion. Policemen in plainclothes have also been deployed at different sites and crowded places to keep a check on any untoward incident, Pradhan said.