CHENNAI: As the pandemic's shadow finally began to fade after two years, residents of Chennai celebrated Vinayakar Chaturthi in all fervour and gaiety on Sunday by immersing Ganesh idols in the sea. Clad in traditional attire and donning headbands, people arrived in large numbers in minivans and danced to the dhol and drums as idols were immersed.
On Sunday 1,962 idols were immersed - 1,243 in Pattinapakkam, 545 in Neelankarai, 163 in Kasimedu Fishing Harbour, and 11 in Tiruvottiyur - with the help of cranes. In Tambaram and Avadi police limits, 387 and 234 idols respectively were immersed.
At Pattinapakkam, a stream of vehicles arrived and people lifted the idols on their shoulders and ran towards the sea. After the immersion, people splashed colour on each other in celebration.
"The number of idols this year is more than before the pandemic. This is mainly because celebrations were dampened for the past two years," said N Prem, who set up a pandal in Egmore and immersed their idol at Pattinapakkam on Sunday.
However, on the flip side, roads were blocked by processions of idols in trucks and vans. This, added to the Sunday crowd on Marina Beach, made traffic move at a snail's pace on Santhome High Road and Kamarajar Salai from 6 pm.
"All trucks headed to Pattinapakkam from Marina were diverted towards the loop road. However, in the opposite direction, there were no restrictions. This led to traffic congestion on Santhome High Road. Police were deployed, but the situation got uncontrollable towards evening," said Praveen Anand, a motorist.
Other areas that witnessed heavy traffic congestion were EVR Salai, Harrington Road, 100 Feet Road, Arcot Road, Valluvar Kottam High Road, Nungambakkam High Road, Kodambakkam High Road, Nelson Manickam Road, Anna Rotary, Cathedral Road, Dr Radha Krishnan Salai, and DGS Dinakaran Salai. Commuters got respite only after 10 pm, after the immersion of the idols.
"Travelling from Thoraipakkam to my house in Mandaveli usually takes 30-45 minutes. But on Sunday, it took one-and-a-half hours. The men who were part of the procession weren't bothered about the traffic congestion," said ER Rajesh Kumar a HR professional.
F Dhivyashree, a resident of Thousand Lights, added, "Making matters worse, there was a shopping mela at a private store in Royapettah. I haven't seen such traffic before. The police weren't able to get traffic moving smoothly."
Despite the plastic ban, the designated spots for immersion were filled with plastic waste, which eventually washed into the sea.
"As the government has been stressing on environmentally-friendly idols, it must also ensure people don't carry plastic to the sea. After the immersion of idols, many people ate on the beach and discarded plastic spoons, straws, and bags there. Though conservancy workers were deployed to clean up, at least half the waste ended up in the sea," said K Balaji, a civic activist from Nungambakkam.
(With inputs from Sahaya Novinston Lobo)