Steel city bids adieu to puja

Rourkela: The five-day Durga Puja ended yesterday in the Steel City with the gathering of puja medhas of Maa Durga at Melan ground at Sector-13 for immersion of idols. As per sources, 18 out of 99 medhas gathered at the Melan ground yesterday in the presence of a large number of people who from in and around Rourkela.

Elaborate security arrangements were made by Rourkela Police along Ring road and at every chowk to maintain law and order and to ensure that the immersion ceremonies passed off smoothly. Idols were brought from the various pandals by the different puja committees for immersion.

“We have made arrangements for the immersion of idols near Balu Ghat on Brahmani River for which volunteers were engaged by the committees at various locations”, informed members of Central Puja Committee (CPC) adding that additional lights arrangements were also made at the ghat for immersion.

A series of rituals were observed at pandals before the idols were taken out in procession along the Ring road of the city for immersion.

A Bhajan Samaroha was also organized at the Melan ground yesterday by the CPC. Among others, Minister of Transport and Commerce Subrat Tarai, CPC Chairman and SP Rourkela Himanshu Lal, ADM Rourkela Rabindranath Mishra, Panposh Sub-Collector Shyam Bhakta Mishra, Rourkela Municipality Chairperson Rashmibala Mishra, Municipality Executive Officer Bijay Swain and other dignitaries were present on the Melan ground. The vote of thanks was given by General Secretary CPC Bhabani Kabi while the whole programme was co-ordinated by Suvendu Panda of CPC.