At least 100 quintals of silver and more than 20 kg of gold in form of tableaus and jewelleries with an estimated cost of over Rs50 crore would be on display during Durga Puja in Cuttack city this year.
This apart, the 150-odd puja committees of the city are likely to spend over Rs15 crore for decoration of pandals, welcome arches and immersion procession of the deities this time.
This combined amount to be spent for only a week during the Puja revelry is more than three months’ expenditure of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC).
This amount is more than enough to build around 90 km of cement concrete road or nearly 260 km of drain in the city.
But an undeclared competition for lavish expenditures during Puja celebrations by different puja committees would not allow intellectuals to ponder about it.
And the gold and silver rush to provide that additional glitter is going to stay here, come what may.
According to police sources, at least 19 puja committees are giving that sparkling background to the deities having silver tableaus and five of these elite puja pandals are also going to decorate the deities with golden crowns and other jewelleries. The city police have made special arrangements to provide round-the-clock security at these pandals for the Puja days.
“We are providing a Quick Reaction Team (QRT), a 24-hour security at the Mandaps sporting silver tableaus and gold ornaments,” said a senior city cop, adding that these Mandaps have been asked to recruit Special Police Officers (SPOs) to guard their pandals by installing CCTV cameras.
While the silver tableau in the city concept began more than six decades ago, the rush for golden crown and jewelleries started in 1995. The Chowdhury Bazaar puja committee was the trendsetter in this endeavour.
In 2002, they made golden crowns for Goddess Durga and other accompanying deities of lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and Kartik.
later, they added gold to its tableau, replacing silver. And this year, the mandap will sparkle with around 12 kg of gold. In fact, this committee was the first to go in for a silver tableau way back in 1951.
Joining the Choudhury Bazaar, the Sheikh Bazaar puja committee in 2005 made a crown of 3.5 kg of gold for the goddess at a cost of Rs28 lakh, and it was the centre of attraction for Puja revellers for quite some time.
They soon added another three kg of gold for the crowns of other deities, including that of the buffalo-headed demon Mahisasura.
Subsequently, the Mangalabag, Khapuria, Dolamundai and Balubazaar puja committees added gold to the ornaments of Goddess Durga. This year, however, the Ranihat puja committee has joined this race by preparing a gold crown of the goddess weighing around five kg costing around Rstwo crore.