Shillong, October 11: Amidst tight security, the Durga Puja celebration in the city started with the usual fervor, pomp and gaiety in the opening day of the three days celebration. The preceding days violence when miscreants set fire to a trader in the heart of the city failed to dampen the puja spirit as decent number of devotees were seen visiting the different Durga Puja pandals in the city.
Day two and three of the Durga Puja is expected to be the usual story of choc-a-block as people jostled with each other like every year to have a darshan of Goddess Durga.
The Durga Puja script this year however will see more presence of the security forces manning the different puja pandals in the city and ensuring that the miscreants do not try its disrupt peaceful celebration.
The conglomerate of ngos who had called agitations to pressurize the government for implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) has also suspended their agitation from October 10 to October 16 because of the festive season.
Even as Meghalaya home minister Roshan Warjri has assured that the state government is making all effort to ensure the celebration of a peaceful puja, security deployment stood testimony to the government effort to oversee that anti-social elements do not get to take the law into their hand and disrupt the celebration of puja.
Wajri assured, “ The situation is under control and people need not panic.” She also urged the people not be get panicky if they hear about any incident as might just be rumour and instead suggested that they should inform the authority concerned.
East Khasi hills SP M Kharkhrang said that adequate security forces were available to make its presence felt in the city as well as in the outskirt wherever there were puja pandals. He said, “Security is adequate to ensure that miscreants do not create trouble.”
Different puja pandals in the city have lined up colourful cultural programmes and even fashion show to enlivened the puja celebration.
In all there are around 122 puja pandals across the state including 61 pandals in Shillong city apart from some private puja pandals.
As usual all the puja pandals have been decorated and illuminated to make the nights colourful and most of these puja pandals in the city have even fitted with CCTV cameras to ensure peaceful celebrations.
Central Puja Committee working president Naba Bhattacharjee informed that the annual drum beating festival would be held on Sunday at Survey of India Puja pandals and CPC would also organise a competition for the best puja pandal of the state.- By Our Reporter
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