Agartala: Amid tight security arrangements, Durga Puja celebrations kickstarted in Tripura, with devotees venturing out for Pandal hopping from the Mahapanchami nights. This year’s Durga Puja festival is also special in the sense as there are no restrictions unlike the last two years owing to the pandemic.
Although the Puja rituals are going to be started formally on Sunday, the excitement of people for the four-day long festival could be seen from Friday itself. The big-budget Puja pandals have also come up with unique themes for the grand arrangements they have on display for the pandal hoppers.
Because of the Puja celebrations, special security arrangements have also been put in place with additional security deployment in the city areas.
Traffic restrictions had also been imposed in Agartala city to avoid traffic congestion during peak hours.
Speaking on the security arrangements, Assistant Inspector General of Police Jyotsiman Das Chowdhury said, “Keeping parity with previous years, forces have been deployed in sufficient numbers in various parts of the state. Foolproof security arrangements had been put in place to ensure that people can enjoy the Puja days without any tension.”
He said the number of Durga Pujas has increased. A total of 2,506 Puja organizers have been granted permission from the Tripura police department. In Agartala city alone, 979 Pujas are being organised and the rest of 1,527 Pujas are based in rural areas, he added.
Chowdhury also informed EastMojo that around 2,400 Police and Tripura State Rifle troopers will be deployed in different parts of the state. “Naturally the deployment is higher in the urban areas as lakhs of people visit Agartala city areas during the Durga Puja days”, said Chowdhury.
SDPO Sadar Ajay Kumar Das said, “Necessary orders on restrictions of traffic movements have already been passed. Already a crackdown was launched to arrest the thieves and burglars of the city. This will certainly give confidence to the city dwellers to come out of homes without any hesitation”.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and the TTAADC administration have wished the people on the occasion of Durga Puja. After a gap of two years, Big budget Pujas depicting high-rise structures returned to the capital city.
To mention a few. Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Club located in the heart of the city has chosen Burj Khalifa as their Puja theme. Another important Puja Pandal came up at Azad Hind Sangha located in the Dhaleswar area. The theme of their Puja pandal has been based on the extinct tribe group of Andaman Nicobar Island.
“We have heard that this ethnic tribe is going extinct which is why we are trying to showcase their life through our Puja pandal”, said Sambhu Banik, a member of the club.
Meanwhile, all the Puja organizers have put up attractive lighting arrangements across the city areas to woo pandal hoppers. Apart from the city, big budget Puja pandals have also been set up in Bishalgarh and Udaipur—district headquarters of Sepahijala and Gomati districts.
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