As the city lives up to the festive spirit of this season, puja pandals in various locations around the city and temples have been dealing with footfall of thousands and–surprise, surprise –without much report of trouble and chaos! Delhi has witnessed peaceful pujas and navratras so far, and with the way things are going, festivities should wrap up just as peacefully as well.
Though the real feel of the Durga Puja festival comes alive in only certain pockets in the capital, the excitement of making the most of the celebrations kept the city going at all hours.
CR Park has been chock-a-block with people pouring in from all parts of the city to visit the puja pandals in the area. Hosting one of the largest pujas in northern India, the Mela Ground puja committee had upped the security on the grounds along with making separate entrances for regular and VIP guests to control the rush. Almost all puja pandals worked hand-in-hand with Delhi Police to make sure that nothing went wrong at peak hours.
‘We spent a lot of money on security this year to make sure that nothing went wrong. The security personnel were deployed at an elevation near the entrance so they could keep an eye out for any trouble,’ said a Mela Ground Puja committee member. Pocket 40 organisers also made similar arrangements for a safe celebration.
Dwarka and Kashmere Gate puja pandals also witnessed huge crowds who have been trooping in for bhog and aarti over the last few days. Sectors in Rohini and Greater Kailash, which hosted smaller pandals, also have had a smooth run this season.
Following rules did not seem to be a very bad thing for puja committes as welcome gates were done away with government orders. While initially this meant a huge dent in the finances, eventually the absence of these massive gates facilitated easy traffic flow.
Though most puja pandals closed shop by midnight, the footfall around the rest of the day kept the festive spirit high. All puja committes made sure that functions would wrap at a suitable time without too many glitches.
While minor complaints came from daily commuters who faced traffic trouble around CR Park and Kalkaji area, Delhi Police has been regular with their Twitter updates giving information about the flow of traffic.
‘Commandos have been deployed near the Durga pandals. Special police force along with the local police have been posted near these areas and also at the crowded markets. Emergency exits have been prepared to keep the situation under control during any criminal activity. Most of the roads had barricades to keep a check on vehicles,’ said Ajay Chaudhary, Additional Commissioner of Police [south-east].
Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said, ‘No major incidents or criminal complaints have been reported from any of the Durga puja pandals all over the capital. Even after a high threat of terrorists attacks during festive season as alleged by the arrested IM terrorists, so far the pujas have been peaceful. And the credit goes to respective senior police officials who have made special security arrangements in their areas.’
Navratras celebrations also have been going on without any hindrance in the city with strict security measures around the big temples and controlled traffic flow.
Though the real feel of the Durga Puja festival comes alive in only certain pockets in the capital, the excitement of making the most of the celebrations kept the city going at all hours.
CR Park has been chock-a-block with people pouring in from all parts of the city to visit the puja pandals in the area. Hosting one of the largest pujas in northern India, the Mela Ground puja committee had upped the security on the grounds along with making separate entrances for regular and VIP guests to control the rush. Almost all puja pandals worked hand-in-hand with Delhi Police to make sure that nothing went wrong at peak hours.
‘We spent a lot of money on security this year to make sure that nothing went wrong. The security personnel were deployed at an elevation near the entrance so they could keep an eye out for any trouble,’ said a Mela Ground Puja committee member. Pocket 40 organisers also made similar arrangements for a safe celebration.
Dwarka and Kashmere Gate puja pandals also witnessed huge crowds who have been trooping in for bhog and aarti over the last few days. Sectors in Rohini and Greater Kailash, which hosted smaller pandals, also have had a smooth run this season.
Following rules did not seem to be a very bad thing for puja committes as welcome gates were done away with government orders. While initially this meant a huge dent in the finances, eventually the absence of these massive gates facilitated easy traffic flow.
Though most puja pandals closed shop by midnight, the footfall around the rest of the day kept the festive spirit high. All puja committes made sure that functions would wrap at a suitable time without too many glitches.
While minor complaints came from daily commuters who faced traffic trouble around CR Park and Kalkaji area, Delhi Police has been regular with their Twitter updates giving information about the flow of traffic.
‘Commandos have been deployed near the Durga pandals. Special police force along with the local police have been posted near these areas and also at the crowded markets. Emergency exits have been prepared to keep the situation under control during any criminal activity. Most of the roads had barricades to keep a check on vehicles,’ said Ajay Chaudhary, Additional Commissioner of Police [south-east].
Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said, ‘No major incidents or criminal complaints have been reported from any of the Durga puja pandals all over the capital. Even after a high threat of terrorists attacks during festive season as alleged by the arrested IM terrorists, so far the pujas have been peaceful. And the credit goes to respective senior police officials who have made special security arrangements in their areas.’
Navratras celebrations also have been going on without any hindrance in the city with strict security measures around the big temples and controlled traffic flow.