KOLKATA, Oct 20: Lakhs of people descended on the streets of the cities and towns in West Bengal to visit the pandals as Durga Puja began on Friday with ‘Shasti’.
The clear sky added to the festive spirits, with long queues seen outside the well-known pandals in Kolkata such as Santosh Mitra Square, Sreebhumi Sporting Club, Chetla Agrani, Tridhara and Tala Prattoy.
The situation was similar in Salt Lake, Howrah, Kalyani, Siliguri, Durgapur, Asansol and Kharagpur, among other places in the state.
Though a significant number of pandals were opened to the public earlier this week, the crowd is expected to swell ‘Shasti’ onwards as it is the last working day for the government and private offices in the state before the four-day holidays begin. Holidays in most schools, colleges and universities also began on ‘Shasti’.
Police said that no untoward incident has been reported so far in the state.
In state capital Kolkata, 14,000 police personnel have been deployed to maintain the law and order situation, ensure smooth traffic flow and public safety, and monitor the crowd, officials said.
Among them were 18 deputy commissioners of police, 82 assistant commissioners and 230 sub-inspectors, they said.
Long queues were also seen outside restaurants and eateries across the state with people gathering after pandal hopping for lunch and dinner. The single-screens and multiplexes also saw a good turnout with four big-budget Bengali films released together.
The rituals of ‘bodhan’ with Shasti Puja began in the morning, with the placing of ceremonial weapons in the hands of the deity, heralding the beginning of the festival.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted the people of the state on the occasion.
“Sincere heartfelt wishes to everyone on the occasion of Maha Sasthi,” she posted on X.
Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP also greeted the people on the occasion. (PTI)
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