Idol immersion a low-key affair amid Covid protocols

Kolkata: Durga Puja festivities in Bengal concluded on Monday, albeit colourful processions, which usually mark the occasion and only a handful of people participating in the idol immersion ceremony.

Bengal set an example this time by hosting its biggest festival amid the pandemic with people maintaining all Covid norms. This comes with steps taken by the state administration in creating awareness along with intense policing during the Puja.

The usual sight of people visiting pandals from north to south Kolkata was absent this year. Being aware of the situation, revellers opted for online streaming of the rituals as introduced by most of the big Puja organisers in and around the city.

Unlike the usual long queues outside Puja mandaps like previous years, only a handful number of people turned up, following social distancing and wearing face masks. Police maintained a close vigil to ensure masks were worn and physical distancing maintained. Both the Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police distributed masks as well. This is for the first time when thousands of people offered 'pushpanjali' online and watched the Belur Math Durga Puja on the web.

With proper steps being taken by the administration, police and Puja organisers, the number of people getting affected due to Covid on Tuesday dropped to 3,957 and the figure of those getting cured increased to 3,917.

Mentioning the start of another Puja soon after Dashami, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday tweeted extending her greetings to people across all religions and communities including Rajbangshis from Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar for the Puja of Goddess Bhandani.

Immersion of Durga idols in all the ghats of Kolkata and other parts of the state was carried out following strict Covid norms. Even the traditional 'sindoor khela' was skipped. Subsequently, only a few Puja organisers accompanied the idols to the ghats to avoid large gatherings. Puja organisers like Tridhara Sammelani in South Kolkata used jet sprays for immersion of their idols in a temporary water body created near the mandap. A senior police officer said: "Out of 2,509 Durga Pujas in Kolkata, already 1,000 were immersed on Monday itself while the same for at least 150 more has been carried out on Tuesday till news came in amid close vigil of 3,000 police personnel including the River Traffic Police."

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation played a key role in checking pollution of river Hooghly by immediately picking up the remaining structures of the idols after immersion. As immersion will continue till October 29, Puja pandals are still being visited, including one of the big-ticket pandals — Sreebhumi Sporting in Lake Town.

This for the first time in the history of Belur Math when Durga Puja was held without the presence of devotees due to the Covid pandemic.

The Puja, which started at 5.40 am on all four days, was shown online and lakhs of devotees who could not be physically present watched it. As a precautionary measure, the little girl who was worshipped as 'kumari' on Ashtami and the monks and bramhacharis who had conducted the Puja were tested for Corona. No volunteer was allowed at the Sri Ramakrishna temple where the Puja was held and the monks including the president and vice-president Maharaj watched the Puja, maintaining physical distance.

Immersion in Ichamati has also been kept a low-key affair this time to avoid gatherings on the river banks on both sides.

People were found wearing PPE kits while performing 'dhunuchi' dance and 'dandiya' for their safety as well as to create awareness at the Puja mandaps like SB Park at Thakurpukur. Almost all 34,000 Puja organisers have distributed masks among people.

Meanwhile, fire engulfed a Puja mandap at Rampurhat in Birbhum after a lighted firecracker fell on the structure. However, there is no report of any injury yet and firefighters are working to douse the flames.