Kolkata: Cracker violations continued across the city on Sunday even as close to 4,000 Kali idols were immersed at multiple ghats along the Hooghly, including Baje Kadamtala (Babughat), Judges Ghat, Nimtolla Ghat and Doighat at Kidderpore. Additionally, another 2,000 idols were immersed at ponds in Baghajatin Layelka, Ranidighi, Patuli and those in Behala between Sunday afternoon and the early hours of Monday, as reports of crackers bursting came in from different areas during the immersions.
At Babughat, the police were constantly making announcements, asking revellers not to burst crackers. But crackers continued to be burst sporadically on the sides of the ghat as large idols arrived for immersion.
The puja committee members present at the site stated that none of their members were involved in bursting crackers during immersion.
"We followed the rules and ensured that crackers are not burst. None of our members who came for the immersion violated cracker regultions," said a Kali Puja organiser from Alipore.
At Babughat, cops later put up barricades at the entrance to prevent crowding at the ghat and ensure that the immersion process was conducted smoothly. The police were also constantly making announcements, asking people not to crowd at the ghat.
More than 5,000 policemen were deployed at the immersion zones and the roads leading to them to ensure DJ music wasn't played and there was no law and order or traffic disturbance during the final journey of the idols. An additional team of policemen and disaster management group personnel were kept ready at ponds and along the Hooghly river for swift rescue operations in case of an accident.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) made elaborate arrangements at all the ghats where immersions were being conducted, with special teams formed with personnel from the solid waste management, parks and garden and civil engineering departments.
Cranes and trucks were used to pick up and transport the immersed idols from the water, as hundreds of porters were also deployed to assist the immersion process.