Trolleys are used at Taki Rajbari Ghat —– Amar Kar
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has said that the new govt will stop the use of cranes in puja immersion. Sources said the conveyor belts will carry the idols to the waters and bring them back to the bank, without requiring cranes to lift them from the waters. Since a conveyor is a continuously rotating belt, the idol will automatically come back to the riverbank,” said a state govt official. Sources said the use of a trolley is also being considered. On Sept 7, the chief minister had said the govt “will depart from the way idols were immersed by using cranes”. “We will uphold the sacredness of Maa Durga’s idol,” he said at the meeting with Durga Puja organisers at Milan Mela ground. We have also installed a trolley at Baja Kadamtala Ghat to see whether it can work in the ghat,” said an official.
“The idol will be placed on the conveyor belt. It will go down into the river. The immersion procedure that has been followed for years involves the use of cranes. The idol was pushed into the river, where it stayed for a few minutes before cranes were used to lift the idols. “We have been discussing the options for a few days.
“A policy of immersion of idols with due respect, by using conveyor belts will be taken up for the entire state,” the letter mentions. Tourists who have witnessed immersion of Durga idols in Taki said trolleys are used for immersion in Ichhamati river. The idols slowly roll down into the river and are then lifted upwards mechanically,” said a Kolkatan who has witnessed the immersion.
The urban development department secretary has written to the KMC commissioner, heads of all other municipal bodies and all district magistrates, asking them to use conveyor belts. “The idols are placed on the trolley that is mechanically operated.