With the traditional idol immersion ceremony of Maa Durga set for today, the five-day Durga Puja festival has come to a conclusion (Thursday). Today, a sizable contingent of worshippers will say goodbye to the Goddess by submerging the idols in bodies of water.
The famed immersion ceremony is nearing completion in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar as Dussehra and Ravana Podi put an explosive conclusion to the celebrations. Since the Covid-19 restrictions are no longer in effect, numerous puja committees have made extensive preparations for a major immersion ritual.
On the banks of the Kuakhai and Daya rivers, up to four man-made immersion ponds have been excavated to make it easier to submerge the Durga statues.
Larger ponds have been dug out to house the idols because their sizes are larger than they were last year, when the festival was a subdued affair because to Covid-19 restrictions.
17 platoons of police have been deployed, according to Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities, to maintain law and order during the immersion ceremony in the Capital City. Three “Bhasana” committees have been given specific route maps so they can bring idols from the pandals to the temporary ponds in a staggered fashion throughout the procession. Comprehensive plans have been established to control traffic appropriately during the “Bhasana Utsav.” The plans would be overseen by three Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police (ADCPs). The puja committees must adhere to rigorous directives from the commission police.
Three man-made immersion ponds have been prepared for the immersion of the Durga idols in Cuttack, the Millennium city, in the meantime. There will be a total of 55 police platoons stationed throughout the city and immersion site to manage crowds, accidents, and undesirable situations. A total of 300 CCTV cameras have also been placed at various locations throughout the city to monitor the situation. In Devi Gada, 172 idols will be submerged in water.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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