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| File picture of the idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Narayan at a Dhenkanal mandap |
Dhenkanal, Sept. 11: The district administration has banned high-decibel sound system in a bid to keep noise pollution during Lakshmi Puja under check.
The city, known for its famous Lakshmi Puja festival, attracts lakhs of people not only from the district, but also from various parts of the state, including Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
At yesterday’s preparatory meeting, chaired by collector Rupa Roshan Sahu, the Puja committee members, police officials and the district administration authorities raised concern over the high-pitched sound released by music system and sought a ban.
Decisions were taken in the meeting to observe a hassle-free Puja, which will start from October 7 and go on till October 18. “We have decided not to allow Puja committees to use high-decibel sound systems,” said Sahu to The Telegraph.
“Keeping in mind the rush during Puja, we have requested the railway authorities to provide two additional bogies each for the Angul-Puri fast passenger and Puri-Sambalpur inter-city trains during the festive season. Besides, we have also urged the state transport department to run two special buses from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for the people to attend the Puja,” Sahu said.
Decisions were taken regarding lighting, crime control, road repairs and traffic management. It was also decided to set up three emergency medical aid centres in the city, Sahu said. There will be 38 mandaps during the puja next month, she said.
In another development, a life insurance agent, S. Nanda, 35, died while the immersion ritual of Lord Ganesh was in progress at Talcher on Tuesday. Local residents said the man, hailing from a local village, collapsed at Hattota market. The deceased’s colleagues alleged that high-decibel sound had caused his death.