CUTTACK: Like Durga Puja festival, the immersion ceremony too will be a low-key affair in the Millennium City this year due to the pandemic. While restrictions have been imposed on the number of participants, acting on the puja committees’ request, the police have dug up more temporary ponds on the Kathajodi river bed at Devi Gada. The police have also earmarked six sites on Kathajodi and Mahanadi river beds and accordingly issued a letter to Cuttack Municipal Corporation to dig as many as 15 artificial ponds by Thursday, October 14, 2021.
While the civic body has been asked to dig up 10 temporary ponds at Devi Gada within Purighat police limits, one pond each is required to be set up on the Kathajodi river bed at Ghatakula within Madupatana police limits, at Belleview point within Lalbag police limits, at Gopalpur within Sadar police limits, on Mahanadi river bed at Kartikeswar Gada within Cantonment police limits and near Maritime Museum within Mangalabag police limits. Twin City Police Commissioner Soumendra Priyadarshi said this year the immersion ceremony will be conducted on October 15 and 16.
“The puja committees will have to apply to their respective police stations for immersion of idols and they will be allotted a specific time for the purpose. Our objective is not to harass people but to avoid crowding to contain the spread of infection,” he said, adding processions including use of loudspeakers are banned during the ceremony. This apart, the committees are required to carry their idols in a vehicle in the presence of maximum seven persons.
The Commissioner said this year no ‘Sahi Parikrama’ will be held. The vehicles carrying the idols from pandals are not allowed to stop enroute to the immersion points. He said 18 platoons of police force will be deployed to ensure the ceremony is conducted smoothly and safely.CMC Commissioner Ananya Das said as per the police directive, the civic body has started digging artificial ponds at the designated spots across the city from Wednesday.