Bhubaneswar: Amid preparations for Durga Puja in full swing across Odisha, heavy rains lashed Bhubaneswar on Sunday which led to collapse of an under-construction pandal (light gate) at Rasulgarh.
Around 4 p.m., the torrential downpour caused the 30-foot-high and 20-foot-wide light gate to totally collapse, resulting in a traffic jam on the route.
The Rasulgarh Durga Puja committee is coming up with a replica of Gujarat’s famous Swaminarayan temple which will be 80-foot-high and 120-foot-wide.
The structure (light gate) had reached its final stage of preparations when the mishap occurred, said sources.
It may be noted that IMD Bhubaneswar had issued an orange alert for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack predicting intense spells of rain together with lightning in the afternoon.