The Chaturthi crowd hit the streets early on Friday afternoon causing huge traffic snarls across the city.
The additional deployment of forces from Kolkata Police began in the afternoon from 4pm onwards.
Hours before that pandal hoppers started pouring in at Bagbazar Sarbojonin, Santosh Mitra Square, Deshapriya Park, Maddox Square, Suruchi Sangha and other big-ticket Pujas. In the evening, the crowd surged further.
Police said the traffic congestion was because being a week day, offices, schools and colleges were open. The shoppers and pandal hoppers added to the crowd.
Senior officers said the crowd had to be channelised through the pathways leading to pandals to avoid spilling over on the thoroughfares.
“A majority of the pandal hoppers said they wanted to wrap up their tour by Friday, unsure whether the weather would play truant,” an officer on duty at Rashbehari Avenue said.
Police commissioner Verma went around touring pandals from north to south from 4.30pm and spoke to organisers and officers on duty at some of the intersections.
By evening, police teams under the command of senior officers remained positioned at key intersections.