CUTTACK: The Millennium City will bask in added glow of a new entrant into the elite Chandi Medha or silver backdrop group this Durga Puja. The Nayasarak Puja Committee is readying to adorn its mandap with the much coveted silvery sheen.
Work on the silver filigree backdrop is in full swing and it will decorate the idols during Durga Puja festival commencing from September 30. The backdrop would weigh more than 3.5 quintals with the committee pumping more than `one crore into the project.
The Medha would feature the ancient filigree artisanship of Cuttack but encompass both the traditional and contemporary designs. It will have a pre-dominantly floral pattern infused with modern motifs. Signifying a move from the stereotype arch behind the Goddess, the backdrop would have separate set-up acting as a gate for the tableau, said president Sanjay Sahoo.
The Ranihat Puja Committee is also poised to embellish its Goddess with a gold crown this Puja. The crown would weigh around five kgs and is being crafted at a cost of over `one crore. The mandap has installed Chandi Medha since 2004.
The new addition will take the number of Chandi Medhas to 18 in the City even as the district administration and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) have started preparations for smooth conduct of the festivities. Repair and relaying of roads in the City will commence soon following Ward-wise assessment of their condition by engineers of concerned departments. Ongoing work for Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)- assisted integrated sanitation improvement project in the City will be halted during Durga Puja. Under construction sewerage systems will be adequately covered and barricaded to ensure smooth flow of traffic, a meeting chaired by Collector Girish SN decided.
The Puja Committees have been asked to comply with all statutory norms and rules on sound pollution during the Pujas. They should make all arrangements for ease of ‘darshan’ and puja by devotees and visitors. Special arrangements like separate entrance and ‘darshan’ space for senior citizens and physically challenged should be made at all the mandaps, the administration has said.