Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Sept. 16: Heavy rain triggered by low pressure in the past 48 hours has adversely affected the preparations for the much-awaited Ganesh Chaturthi to be observed across the state tomorrow.
The continuous downpour since the morning has upset plans of several clubs and puja committees, who had a difficult time completing the construction of their pandals.
In Bhubaneswar, organisers of the Ushaloka Puja Committee at Master Canteen Square as well as members of other puja committees at Saheed Nagar and Unit-I are trying to make arrangements for decoration when it is not raining.
However, many are apprehensive that the pandal exteriors and even the idols could get damaged in the rain.
"The construction of our pandals had not even begun properly, and the low pressure has cast a shadow on it. We are facing a lot of troubles in making arrangements for the festival. The final look will not be as good as we had planned," said Aparupa Mishra of the Madhusudan Nagar puja committee.
Residents are also finding it difficult to get ready for the festive season.
"We had to do some shopping for the kids, but the rain has spoiled all our plans," said Nayapalli resident Sitakant Das.
In Cuttack, too, the rain has marred the Puja preparations. "All the pending works starting from the construction of the pandal, its decoration as well as installation of lights were supposed to be over by tonight, but the rain has spoiled our plans," said Sudharshan Jena, a member of a youth association at Ranihat.
Jena said the budget of the club had to be raised from nearly Rs 2,50,000 to Rs 3,00,000, as they had to spend extra on polythene and other rainproof materials to protect the idol in the pandal.
Besides, the rains also created a lot of problem in transportation of Ganesh idols to puja pandals in several parts of the city.Nearly 1,300 pandals have been erected to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in various parts of the city.
Major clubs are spending nearly Rs 5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh towards construction of the Ganesh pandals.
