Bhubaneswar, Oct. 23: Dussehra celebrations in the state came to a fiery end with Ravan Podi or the burning of life-size effigies of demon-king Ravan across the state.

Signifying the victory of good over evil, the occasion was marked by attractive display of pyrotechnics. Huge effigies of Ravan were set afire with colourful fireworks as the crowds cheered.

The celebrations took place at various places, including Saheed Nagar, Nayapalli and Baramunda. This time, the tallest effigy of Ravan (70ft) was set up at Barmunda, followed by Nayapalli and Saheed Nagar (45ft each). At Saheed Nagar, a 40-ft high effigy of demon Kumhakarna, brother of Ravan, was also erected.

In Cuttack, Ravan Podi was held at Killa maidan in a grand way. The city has caught up with the ritual in recent years.

Though the Odisha State Pollution Control Board had requested all puja committees to stop the ritual in order to control air pollution, most of the committees went ahead with the celebrations. Only the Rasulgarh Puja Committee stopped the Ravan Podi event in deference to the board directives.

Usually, chief minister Naveen Patnaik lights up the effigies at various places in the city. But since he is away in Delhi this Puja, his cabinet colleagues, including tourism and culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda, did the honours on his behalf.

Adequate fire safety measures have been taken to prevent any mishaps during the Puja, especially during Ravan Podi, said fire officer Trailokya Kumar Babu. "Fire tenders with adequate staff members were ready to meet any eventuality," he said.

Police commissioner R.P. Sharma said Ravan Podi was taking place at 31 localities in Bhubaneswar - for which elaborate arrangements had been made, including safety barricades and diversion of traffic on the national highway. He said steps had also been taken for the smooth conduct of bhasani (immersion of idols) rituals in the twin cities tomorrow. Closed-circuit television cameras have been placed at vantage points to ensure that there is no law and order problem.

In Cuttack, 11 Durga idols worshipped by the Bengali community at various localities have already been immersed.

This time, on the court orders and according to the pollution control board guidelines, temporary water bodies have been created near rivers in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar for immersion of idols. Earlier, the idols were directly immersed in rivers such as the Mahanadi, Kathajodi, Kuakhai and the Daya located in and around Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. As many as 90 platoons of police had been deployed in the twin cities to ensure a smooth and peaceful Puja this year.

Youth dies

A 26-year-old youth, Gaurav Chakraborty, drowned at the power channel siphon in the Burla police limits during immersion of Durga idol in Sambalpur today.

Gaurav, who hailed from Cheruapara, had gone to the channel for the immersion of a Stationpara idol. However, he drowned during the immersion. It took around one hour for the fire brigade and the police to retrieve his body from the channel.