Kolkata: The presence of a high tide in Hooghly on Friday afternoon led to smooth immersion of hundreds of Durga idols at the city’s major ghats. The immersion process, including removal of idol structures, had suffered on Thursday due to a low tide.Heaps of accumulated idol structures at Bajekadamtala Ghat, Nimtala Ghat and Doighat on Thursday made post-immersion clean-up tricky for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and cops on duty at these ghats. Senior KMC officials had stressed the need for roping in additional manpower and machines at the major ghats to start the clean-up job from early morning.Accordingly, more cranes, JCB machines and trucks were assembled at Bajekadamtala Ghat (Babughat) to allow scores of idols to be taken for immersion.These apart, special mechanical ramps, slides and rail-mounted trolleys or conveyor systems have been deployed at major immersion ghats along Hooghly, including Bajekadamtala Ghat, Nimtala Ghat, Gwalior Ghat, Judges’ Ghat and Doighat.Major immersion ghats along Hooghly and neighbourhood ponds recorded a surge in idols on Wednesday as puja organisers in the neighbourhoods and traditional “barir” pujas made the most of the auspicious day. Officials at the KMC headquarters on Thursday had confirmed that around 2,800 idols were immersed in Hooghly and in the ponds on Wednesday. Of the major ghats, Doighat on Wednesday recorded immersion of around 700 idols and Bajekadamtala (Babughat) recorded 560 idols. Other major ghats that saw a surge include Nimtala and Judges’ Ghat. However, in comparison, there were few puja organisers at the immersion ghats on Thursday. An age-old tradition compels many organisers to stay away from an immersion on a Thursday.“Over 200 idols were immersed at prime ghats on Thursday. But our real challenge was to clean up major ghats like Nimtala, Bajekadamtala and Doighat as the presence of a low tide had made our task difficult. We were happy to note a high tide on Friday afternoon and made the best use of our manpower and machines to clean up the ghats and create space for the new idols set to be immersed,” said a KMC official on duty at Bajekadamtala Ghat on Friday.The official added that arrangements were made at all major ghats along Hooghly to ensure that idol immersions are taken care of by Saturday morning. “Our machines and manpower will work overnight to meet the requirements of the puja organisers who are expected to arrive at the ghats in droves during Friday night,” said the civic official.Besides the major ghats along the river, the KMC teams from parks and squares and solid waste management departments will be present at the city’s neighbourhood ponds to ensure a smooth immersion process of local and household pujas. “Our team will be active in Behala, the Jadavpur-Tollygunge belt and areas located off E M Bypass,” said a KMC parks department official.
