Rourkela’s Durga Puja celebrations have expanded across the Steel Township, Civil Township and Fertiliser area, with 109 pujas and large theme-based pandals expected to attract visitors across the city. The celebrations have also prompted an extensive security and traffic-management plan, including the deployment of 30 platoons of police force and the use of drones.
The Central Puja Committee is overseeing the celebrations, which feature pandals inspired by landmarks, temples, popular films and cultural traditions. Among the main attractions is an Attari-Wagah border-themed pandal created by the Sector-20 Puja Committee. Its exterior is based on the border, while the interior displays scenes linked to the films Border 1 and Border 2, along with images of actors Sunny Deol, Ahan Shetty, Varun Dhawan and Diljit Dosanjh.
The same pandal also includes images of a famous temple and a recognised freedom fighter from every state and Union Territory. Thirty craftsmen from West Bengal were engaged to build the structure, which is expected to include several stalls. The Durga idol has been placed in front of a Himalayan backdrop. The committee has estimated expenditure of around Rs 20 lakh for the puja.
Other committees have created a wide range of themed structures. The Sector-16 committee has built a fairy palace, with white architecture, towers and specialised lighting, while the goddess has been depicted in fairy form. A Sector-17 committee has used maritime heritage as its theme and displayed the ten avatars of Vishnu and the four dhams. Another Sector-17 committee has recreated the Grand Palace of Thailand near a petrol pump.
The Sector-2 committee has drawn inspiration from Nilkanth Dham Poicha Swaminarayan temple in Gujarat. Sector-1 has recreated the architectural detailing of Rajasthan’s Jain temples, while Sector-8 has designed a pandal based on Maharana Pratap’s Udaipur City Palace. The Sector-8 committee is expected to spend around Rs 25 lakh on this year’s puja.
The Sector-7 Puja Committee has brought a Rath Yatra theme to its pandal by recreating the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra. The front of the structure will display the Suna Besa of the Trinity, while visitors will see the Durga idol after entering the pandal. The Telephone Bhawan committee, which is marking its 60th year, has recreated Banaras’s Chandrodaya Mandir. The Ispat Market committee has created a Toy House pandal.
Rourkela police have stationed personnel at puja pandals and are inspecting sensitive locations with dog squads. Drones will be used for traffic management, surveillance and crime prevention during the festivities. “Elaborate security arrangement has been made for the peaceful and smooth celebration of Durga Puja across the city. We are also focusing on traffic management with necessary arrangements. Thirty platoons of police forces have been deployed to maintain law and order throughout the puja,” Rourkela superintendent of police Nitesh Wadhwani said.
