Cuttack, Sept. 23: The incessant rain has emerged a spoilsport both in making Durga idols as well as the welcome gates across the city.

With the festivity almost round the corner, as many as 155 Durga Puja organisers in Cuttack are now left a worried lot to get the groundwork done to welcome the Goddess in various pandals.

Spurred by a low pressure over the Bay of Bengal, the rain has already been lashing the city for the past three days. Besides, there is also a possibility of more rain following another low pressure after September 25, as predicted by the regional meteorological department.

Met department director Sarat Chandra Sahoo said several parts of the state, including the coastal belt, would witness low pressure-induced rain till September 28. The amount of rainfall will gradually decrease from September 29. "According to the data available, the state will witness rainfall till October 1, and there is a forecast of more rain for the next three to four days in several parts of the state," said Sahoo.

On the other hand, the work for the construction of idols of Shiv and Durga has been worst affected in almost all the pandals due to the moist conditions because of the rain.

"The work to make idols has been adversely affected as additional layers of clay cannot be given to the structures unless it gets dry," said Chauliaganj Puja Committee secretary Niranjan Sahu.

Sahu further said that if such moist condition continued, the organisers would have to look for alternative measures such as electric lights, burning of wood and blowers to dry the idols before the the colouring process was taken up after Mahalaya on September 30.

Apart from the idols, the rain has also created problems for the artisans engaged in the construction of welcome arches and other structures for setting up pandals.

The gigantic welcome gates are one of the main attractions during Durga Puja celebrations in Cuttack. Each Puja committee spends nearly Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh to set up the welcome arches, including the electronic ones, during the festival.

"The work for the construction of welcome gates is moving at a snail's pace due to safety reasons. We are not allowing artisans to climb on the bamboo structures as they are now wet," said Khannagar Puja Committee secretary Prafula Sahoo.

Samsadar Paul, an artisan from Bengal, said that though the 40 per cent work of construction of the welcome gates had been over, the organisers were not allowing to continue with the work for safety reasons.

"Usually, the welcome gates are built at 45 to 50ft high and the rain certainly creates problem for the workers for having a proper grip while joining bamboos or finishing other carpentry works at such a height," said Paul.

The artisan further said that as the rain was continuing it was also not advisable to do ply and cloth works to give final shape to the structure as it would get damaged in due course. "At present, we are waiting for the weather to improve," he said.

Sahoo said the Khannagar Puja Committee this time was coming up with a replica of Tiger Hill and a special saheed manch to pay tributes to the Indian soldiers killed in terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

While the rain has raised the organisers' eyebrows, the ongoing integrated sanitation project under way across the city has added to their woes. Apart from adversely affecting city traffic since the inception of the Japan International Co-operation Agency-assisted project, the road restoration job will also create trouble for the immersion ceremony to be held on October 11.

The district administration has asked the public works department as well as officials of the Japan International Co-operation Agency-assisted integrated sanitation project to complete the road job by October 1.

The Durga Puja in Cuttack is one of the major festivals as it draws over 10 lakh visitors, including nearly four to five lakh alone for the immersion ceremony every year.

Gigantic pandals, welcome arches and special rituals, including dahi-pakhala bhog are the other attractions during the festivities here in the city.