Bhubaneswar: The five-day-long Durga Puja is drawing to a close and Odisha will soon bid adieu to the Goddess with Dussehra and Ravana Podi bringing a fiery end to the festivities, which saw streets being decked up with vibrant colours, sparkling lights and a variety of thematic and colourful pandals.
A variety of Maa Durga idols have been installed across 178 places in the city. The puja committee members had requested authorities concerned to repair damaged roads and cut trees for smooth movement of idols during Bhasani Jatra (immersion ceremony).
Notably, four artificial immersion ponds have been dug on the banks of the Kuakhai and Daya rivers to facilitate the immersion of the Durga idols. Since the size of the idol are bigger compared to last year when the festival was a muted affair amid the pandemic, bigger ponds have been built to accommodate the idols, BMC sources said, adding that the immersion will take place from 8 am to 6 pm.
While the ponds were dug using an excavator, polythene sheets have been placed over the earth. After immersion, the solid waste will be shifted to the dump yard and the liquid waste will be taken in cesspool vehicles to the sewage treatment plant.
A total of 17 platoons of police force will be deployed in the city and at immersion site to control overcrowding, mishaps and untoward incidents. Three committees have been formed for smooth conduct of the immersion ceremony and separate route charts have been issued for the procession to carry idols from the pandals to the makeshift ponds in a staggered manner, sources said.
Three Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police would supervise the arrangements, the sources added.
