Army and NDRF team deployed during immersion, cranes used to lift idols
Jamshedpur : Heavy rain resulted out of cyclone Phailin marred Durga Puja celebration on Maha Ashtami on Saturday, as people remained indoors due to adverse weather condition. Phailin proved a dampener for Durga Puja celebrations as water clogging on roads and near pandals created problem for the devotees to move.
�Heavy rainfall coupled with storm forced people to stay indoors. However, on Navami, relief in rainfall helped people move out for pandal hopping,� said Ram Babu Singh a senior functionary of Jamshedpur Kendriya Durga Puja Committee. He said that the administration and the puja committee had ensured the safety of the pandals.
Amidst cases of skirmishes, the Durga Puja, one of the greatest festivals of the city, ended with immersion of idols of Goddess Durga in the rivers all over. Hundreds of devotees, including the men women joined hands to say ‘Asche bochor abar hobe’ (See you next year).
For the first time army men and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed during immersion of idols at river ghats in the city on Monday.
The city witnessed a largely peaceful immersion with 290 immersions at 12 river ghats in the presence of two battalions of Army from Sonari camp and two battalions of NDRF from Kolkata.
The 25 member NDRF team was armed with two boats, 22 life jackets, eight professional swimmers and one deep water diver was positioned at Subernarekha ghat.
�Concerned over the rising water levels in the rivers we decided to take help of NDRF during the immersion. They were deployed at Subernarekha that witnesses largest number of immersion,� said East Singhbhum additional district magistrate (law and order) Ajit Shanker. The Subernarekha ghat witnessed 120 immersions while the last immersion took place at around 1 am.
Dhalbhum sub divisional magistrate Prem Ranjan said that cranes were also used to lift around four idols which were huge in size and height at Subernarekha ghat.
A panel has been constituted by the district administration for judging pandals and idols for annual puja awards.
�We are happy to note that the festival ended peacefully. The awards will be decided during the post Durga puja review meeting to be held by the district administration,� added Rambabu Singh.
Tight security arrangements were made at the river banks of Kharkai and Subarnarekha launches were kept ready to rescue people in case of emergencies, the police said.
In the morning, married women smeared the goddess and her children with red vermilion and offered sweets and prayed for the well-being of their families and long lives of their husbands.
People were seen standing in long queues in front of the pandals for their turn for darshan of the Goddess.
