The Bengal administration went on a high alert putting all agencies and apparatus in place after the Indian Meteorological Department warned of deep cyclonic depression over Bay of Bengal that was likely to cause heavy rain fall in entire South Bengal districts on Maha Navami and through entire Dashami Day of the Durga Pujas.
“A control room has already been set up and the a senior IAS officer was
monitoring the situation, a State minister said adding “though the control
room will remain operational throughout the festive season from September 26 to October 7, in view of the IMD alert a close vigil will be kept in the entire State.”
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that the entire Kolkata Metropolitan Corporation staff had been alerted and were doing duty on rotation basis.
“We are ready for all kind of situation,” Hakim who is the main organiser of the Chetla Agrani Club a famed Durga Puja in South Kolkata said.
The IMD had earlier forecast the likely formation of a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, resulting in isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall in almost all places in the State from October 2 to 4. Twelve people lost their lives in the recent torrential rain — that many an expert compared with a cloud burst — and electrocution incidents in the eastern metropolis and adjoining areas.
Not withstanding the weather alert, threat of rains failed to dampen the Durga Puja spirits with lakhs of people — including children, old, infirm and the youth — still thronging the Kolkata streets hopping pandals and offering their Pujas, one witnessed. Most of them carried rain coats and umbrellas.
Pujas marquees of Tallah Prattay, Bag Bazar Sarbojonin, Kashi Bose Lane, Chalta Bagan Sreebhumi Sporting Club, Raja Santosh Mitra Square in North Kolkata and Tridhara Sanmilani, Chetla Agrani, Ekdalia Evergreen, Suruchi Sangha, 95 Pally Jodhpur Park, Mudiali, Kendua Shanti Sangha Patuli, in the South were filled choc a bloc drawing huge turnouts.
People not only from Bengal districts and
neighbouring Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, UP and MP but also from abroad thronged the marquees in large numbers, 24x7.
The royal and aristocratic families too witnessed large number of visitors. For instance, the 270 year old Puja of the Sobha Bazar Raj and more than 400 year old Puja of Sabarna Roychudhury — who were the original Mansabdars of Kolkata — the 300 year old Raj Raje-shwari Durga Puja of the Krishnagar Raj, 350 year old Puja of Burdwan Raj and the Puja of 1028 years old Bishnpur Malla Raj too witnessed massive turnouts, sources said.