CUTTACK: Festive fervour gripped Millennium City as the five-day Durga Puja began with all traditional pomp and gaiety on Monday. As many as 160 puja pandals have come alive with exquisite stunning decorations, attractive welcome arches and sparkling lights. While 24 puja committees have put up silver tableaux (Chandi Medha), eight have used massive gold ornaments to decorate Goddess Durga and her other celestial companions, including the demon Mahishasura.
As the puja committees started the celebration by observing Sashthi Puja with performance of ‘Bela Barani’ rituals on Monday evening, devotees have started thronging altars to get a look of the pandals. The footfall at different puja pandals will be maximised on Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dasami. Immersion of idols will take place on Saturday.
This year, the cyclone Titli had marred puja preparations for about four days. However, the organisers have come over the problem and completed their pandals in time by engaging extra manpower. With weather God unlikely to play any spoilsports, city residents are getting ready to celebrate and rejoice festivity of the puja by visiting pandals. The entire city has been decked up with exquisite decorations and massive light gates erected by different puja committees.
To ease congestion, Commissionerate Police has imposed one-way traffic system in the city from Monday. Apart from police deployment at puja pandals, security has been beefed up at Cuttack railway station and Badambadi Bus Stand which would witness congestion during puja. CCTV cameras have been installed at different crowded places and important junctions in the city to keep an eye on the trouble-makers.