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Bhubaneswar, Oct 12: To ensure that no damage was done to water bodies, the civic authority instructed 165 Durga Puja committees in the city to submerge their idols in the four artificial ponds created specifically for the purpose.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had dug two such ponds near the Kuakhai river and one each at Bhargavi river and Daya river. In the immersion ceremony that took place Wednesday after the ‘Ravan Podi’ event, the puja committees made sure to stick to the instructions given by the civic authority.
“The event was organised smoothly under the supervision of commissionerate police and BMC ensured that cleanliness was maintained,” an official of the civic authority said.
In Cuttack, the district administration made similar arrangements where the idols were immersed in the artificial ponds at Devigada on the banks of Kathajodi river.
The puja pandal organisers were instructed to minimise sound level of the DJs below 58 decibel. The idol immersion procession was kick started at 8 am Wednesday.
Elaborate arrangements for the ceremony were made to ensure that peace was maintained throughout the processions.
At least 12 senior police officers, including five SP rank officers, oversaw the security arrangements.
Members of Quick Action Team (QAT), Special Operation Group (SOG), anti-terror squad and plain-clothed personnel were also deployed to deal with any eventuality, police said.
The reporter tracked some of the processions that took place in Bhubaneswar. The committees at Shahid Nagar, Nayapalli and Old Station started their processions at 5 in the evening. More than 25 individual committees took part in each procession. The Shahid Nagar batch took their idols to Kuakhai river via the Rajmahal route.
Deepti Sahoo talked about her experience on this year’s puja ceremony and said, “I visited around 70 puja pandals in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and enjoyed delicious street food.
However, like all good things, this year’s Durga Puja has ended and we all will be back to our monotonous and routine lives.”
Soumya Ranjan Das, a class 10 student, was sad as the festive season has ended and he would now have to get back to his homework and classes.
Ceremonious ‘Ravan Podi’ had taken place at various places in the city the previous day, which was one of the major attractions. The puja committees in Jharpara and Baramunda were among the ones who organised the event.
