Bhubaneswar:The immersion ceremony of Goddess Durga, locally known as ‘Bhasani Utsav’, began Wednesday after Vijayadashami came to an end Tuesday marking the conclusion of Dussehra festivities. Organisers of all major puja pandals along with the police left no stones unturned to ensure a smooth immersion ceremony. Residents of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack were quite excited to participate in the grand occasion where they got one last glimpse of the clay idols before immersion. Commissionerate police had announced elaborate route plans to avoid traffic congestion. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) created temporary artificial ponds on the banks of Daya and Kuakhai rivers for immersion.
To avoid pollution caused by the clay idols, the administration decided to come up with the idea of creating artificial ponds in the city. While Durga idols of Rasulgarh, Bomikhal, Sahid Nagar, Jharpada, Laxmisagar, Nayapalli, VaniVihar, Kharvela Nagar pandals were immersed in artificial ponds created in Kuakhai river, idols of Station Bazaar, Dhauli, Rajmahal and Kalpana Square pandals were immersed in temporary ponds created near Daya river. Earlier, puja committees used to immerse the idols at Kuakhai and Daya rivers apart from other natural water bodies in Bhubaneswar leading to major pollution. Harmful chemicals such as chromium, cadmium, lead and copper are used to make idols, which dissolves in water and pose a threat to both human beings, flora and fauna.
