City braces for mega immersion carnival

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee thanked the devotees, Durga Puja organisers and police for making the festival peaceful and enjoyable.

She also thanked the clubs and committees in the state for their "total cooperation and overwhelming support" in making the extravaganza a grand success. She even urged people from all walks of life to participate in the grand carnival of the immersion procession on Red Road scheduled for Tuesday.

Banerjee tweeted: "At the end of Durga Puja, the biggest festival in the world, I would like to thank the crores of people who visited the puja mandaps and participated in the festivities and made the festival celebration so joyful. I would also like to thank the puja committees, clubs and all communities for their total cooperation and overwhelming support. I thank the police and civil administration for their tireless endeavour to make the puja celebration smooth, peaceful and disciplined. Some of the noted puja organisers will be participating in the carnival at Red Road on October 3, being organised by the state government for the second time. I invite all of you to come and witness the beautiful event. My best wishes to all."

This is the second consecutive year when the state government has organised the carnival to give an opportunity to the commoners to get a glimpse of all the famous Durga idols from in and around the city at Red Road. Another important aspect of the carnival is promotion of Bengal all over the world as one of the best tourist destinations.

Preparation of the carnival at Red Road is also almost complete. The best Puja organisers have already been briefed about the norms that are required to be followed during the carnival to avoid any chaos. They have been asked to reach near the venue by 4 pm but according to police, some Puja committees will start reaching the venue from Tuesday morning itself.

Fifty members of each of the Puja organisers will be allowed to take part in the carnival and four vehicles of each of the organisers will be allowed to pass through the stretch with idols of Goddess Durga and her entourage.

Since more number of Puja organisers is getting an opportunity to take part in the carnival this year, there is limited time span for each of the organisers to showcase their activities in front of the main dais. Thus, most organisers have planned to prepare their performance in such a manner so that it can be presented even while marching ahead slowly.

Policemen have already been posted at Red Road. Officers of the bomb and dog squads were found carrying out frisking operations to ensure that no untoward incident takes place during the mega event.