Cuttack Readies For Immersion Ceremony Amid Traffic Restrictions, Tight Security

Cuttack: The fanfare and festivities of five-day Durga Puja will end on Tuesday and the Goddess will be taken in a procession here for the immersion ceremony the following day.

The city reverberates with the sound of cymbals, dholaks, bada bajas and ghantas during the ceremony as people flock to the streets with idols being carried on trucks to join the main procession to the Kathajodi.

With people in hordes coming out to the roads to bid adieu to the Goddess, managing the traffic becomes a major challenge for police.

Speaking to the media, Cuttack DCP Akhileswar Singh listed out the steps being taken to ensure peaceful completion of the immersion ceremony.

> Around 57 platoons of police force will man the city on this day.

> There will be traffic restrictions between 11 am and 12 noon on the main routes passing through College Square, Gouri Shankar Park, Jaunliapatti and Puri Ghat and Devigada Ghat, the immersion point.

> 16 pushing teams will be engaged on these routes to control the rush.

> 43 police aid-posts have been put up to prevent unpleasant situations.

> Two companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) will be at stand-by to deal with emergency situations.

> IIC-rank officers will be deployed to check possible disputes during the immersion.

> Police in plain cloth and teams of volunteers will keep an eye on eve-teasers and anti-socials.