Environment was a key concern with FD Block’s global warming theme in Salt Lake leading the way. At some pandals, bio-degradable materials ruled

Raima Sen, seen here at 41 Pally for the CESC-The Telegraph True Spirit Puja,was the biggest star presence during the four days

Somebody’s watching you was the buzzword as security agencies public and private went into overdrive.

Efficient crowd control by cops kept traffic snarls under check

The weather god was kind on pandalhoppers after a scare on wet Sashthi

Traffic management

“Why can’t traffic flow as smoothly throughout the year?” This was the question on the lips of most motorists after a largely snarl-free Puja. The answer lay in the arithmetic — over 2,350 traffic police personnel, 1,200 NCC cadets and volunteers, and 500-plus Civic Police members manned thoroughfares and big-ticket pandals from Monday to Wednesday.

“We formed the Civic Police squad this year and they did a wonderful job,” said deputy commissioner (traffic) Dilip Bandopadhyay.

Calcuttans agree, but also wonder why the “wonderful work” can’t be continued. “This proves that if the police want to, they can do it,” said Supratim Biswas, a doctor, marvelling at a snarl-free Park Circus on Ashtami.

Rating: 8/10

Transport system

Metro Railway was the city’s transport lifeline again this Puja, making up for the absence of buses on several routes. Pandal-hoppers criss-crossed the city thanks to the 162 rakes that ferried passengers between 2pm and 4am.

“More people took the Metro this Puja. On Sashthi, we recorded 3.1 lakh passengers, a 34 per cent increase from last year’s high mark,” said a Metro Railway official. Not a train was cancelled.

Around 4,500 private and 620 CSTC buses were on the road till after midnight. The police registered more than 40 taxi-refusal complaints till Navami afternoon.

Rating: 6/10

Fire-fighting

Fire safety was the most visible change from last year in pandals across the city., largely through endeavours like CESC The Telegraph True Spirit Puja. Bivhas Guha, the divisional fire officer, said the blaze battle must be scaled up next Puja but applauded College Square Sarbojonin, Mohammad Ali Park, Kumartuli Sarbojonin and Telengabagan for their fire-safety measures.

Rating: 7/10

Star Puja

The star presence revolved around Puja awards with the likes of Raima Sen and Parambrata Chatterjee doing the rounds for the CESC-The Telegraph True Spirit contest on Ashtami. Raima’s sister Riya accompanied Mithun Chakraborty to Badamtala Aashar Sangha also on Ashtami. Harbhajan Singh visited two pujas on Sashthi. The big Bollywood stars to descend on pre-Puja days were Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Chaturthi and Shah Rukh Khan on Panchami. They wished us “Happy Puja” and headed home.

Rating: 6/10

Security check

Calcutta took no chances with security this Puja. Closed-circuit television cameras recorded your every move in pandals, hawk-eyed police personnel perched atop watchtowers monitored crowds and a 2,000-strong squad of plainclothesmen was on the streets to watch out for any signs of trouble.

Vineet Goyel, the deputy commissioner of police (headquarters), said 19,000 personnel were deployed across the city this year. “We had watchtowers at 20 locations.”

Twenty vehicles with bomb-disposal teams patrolled the streets. The police also arranged for 25 medical vans. Fortunately, none of it was called into action.

Rating: 8/10

Green theme

Green was the theme in many pujas with variations ranging from “save the Tiger” (25 Pally in Kidderpore) to “depletion of natural resources (66 Pally in Kalighat). Green-friendly material like jute, tree bark, straw and twigs were used by many organisers. But use of plastic was rampant. Use of non-toxic paint (Salt Lake FD Block) or free distribution of jute bags in exchange of plastic ones (DL Block) were exceptions.

Rating: 6/10

Weather watch

The weather god proved the weatherman wrong, much to the pandal-hoppers’ delight. No showers after Sashthi.

Rating: 8/10