Kolkata: Ganesh immersion dress rehearsal for Durga Puja

KOLKATA: Several Durga Puja organizers, cops and KMC officials are tracking Ganesh Puja preparations and safety guidelines adopted by committees, and the immersion plans since they feel they will come handy just a month later.
Though there has been a surge in Ganesh Pujas in the city and suburbs this year, the scale is nowhere close to Durga Puja, which calls for mobilisation of the police force and elaborate arrangements for immersions by KMC.

According to a rough estimate, there were close to 1,200 Ganesh Pujas in Kolkata this year, a big chunk of which was in complexes. “Residents of our neighbouring block organized Ganesh Puja and held meetings with cops and civic authorities, who provided a list of dos and don’ts. We celebrated on Friday but also observed the guidelines so that we can plan for the Durga Puja in our block,” said Debi Prasad Ghosh, secretary of AC Block in New Town.
“Visiting Ganesh Pujas helped us understand the loopholes we will need to plug for Durga Puja,” said Bapi Haldar, president of a Durga Puja committee in north Kolkata.
Cops and KMC officials are also treating the Ganesh immersion, most planned for Sunday, as the dress rehearsal for the main event next month. “The deployment, routes for immersion and rules for Ganesh immersion will come handy during Durga Puja immersions,” said an officer.