Curtains come down on Berhampur fest

BERHAMPUR: The Durga Puja festivities came to an end here on Sunday with immersion of the idols. The city, which wore a festive look for the past few days, lost its charm as the locals bid farewell to the Goddess of power. The idols were immersed at temporary ponds built at Gosaninuagaon as per the directives from a local court.

This year, around 50 pandals were erected throughout the city. However, permission was apparently granted to only 40 by the local administration. The immersion passed off peacefully amid tight security measures enforced by district administration and police.
Six platoons of additional police force had been deployed to manage the crowd and curb any untoward incident.

Festive Business 
Though the puja arrangements did not start off with the usual enthusiasm during the initial days, the entire affair picked up momentum as the festival approached. According to local traders, commodities, mostly cloths, worth J50 crores were sold for erecting pandals for the Goddess. “The festive business will continue till Kumar Purnami,” said the traders.The traders had placed colourful banners and placards in front of their shops and establishments to woo customers. The placard bore festive messages and greetings to grab the attention of perspective buyers.